The match, played in typically hot and humid conditions in the Queensland capital, was the perfect Australian Open preparation for the two top seeds, who met in the Melbourne final in 2008.

"I came into this final expecting a tough match," Sharapova said. "The matches we had last year were always very intense and high quality. That's what you expect in a final atmosphere. "I love coming back here, starting here," she added.

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"I played four good matches against very different types of opponents — couldn't have asked for better preparation." Sharapova started brilliantly and raced to a 4-1 lead before Ivanovic struck back and levelled the set.

She then took control of the tiebreak to strike first blood in the final. Sharapova broke early in the second set and kept the advantage to level the match at one set apiece.