Samantha Stosur beats Victoria Azarenka to win Carlsbad Open

Samantha Stosur has secured her first title since 2011 at the Carlsbad Open by beating Victoria Azarenka 6-2 6-3 in the final.

The Australian got off to a quick start against the world number two, racing through the first set as Azarenka struggled to find consistency on serve.

Azarenka quickly found herself a break down in the second set, but did show some fight at 40-0 down to save break point with an ace.

Stosur kept the pressure on to force a double break, before claiming match point when Azarenka fired a stray backhand wide of the line.

Victory in Carlsbad secured Stosur her first win over Azarenka in nine attempts and a fourth career title, as both players build towards the US Open later this month.