Victoria Azarenka hammers Angelique Kerber at Qatar Total Open

Victoria Azarenka has reached the second round of the Qatar Total Open thanks to a convincing straight-sets win over Angelique Kerber.

The two-time Grand Slam champion was in ruthless form in the opening set as she broke the German three times on her way to winning it 6-3.

Kerber offered more resistance in the second, but she failed to stop Azarenka coming through 6-0 6-3 inside an hour.

The Belarusian, who won the tournament back in 2013, was handed a wildcard this year following her slip down the rankings through injury.