Azarenka wins first-round match in Paribas Open, sets up clash with Serena

Florida: Former World number one Victoria Azarenka defeated Vera Lapko 6-2,6-3 in her first match at the Paribas Open.
As a result, Belarus’s tennis star has set up a second-round clash with Serena Williams.
The 29-year-old Belarusian was clinical against her 20-year-old over the course of one hour and 24 minutes as she won 10 straight games after falling behind 2-0, 40-0 in the first set.
Azarenka’s Belarus’s compatriot Lapko tried to put up resistance in the second set with her back against the ball, as she won three out of the next four games to get closer and saved four match points on the Azarenka serve in the process.
But Lapko was undone by Azarenka’s class and experience. Despite saving a fifth match point, she could not do more to deny the two-time champion Azarenka a victory.
The second round match between Azarenka and Serena Williams will be a rematch of the 2016 Paribas Open Final.