advantage for me , '' she told the tournament 's official Web site . `` I think I get a lot of balls back . I think off the ground she 's very strong and consistent , but I think I 'm probably a little stronger than her , so that helps me to control the point . `` I think she does everything well , but there 's a few things , obviously the strength that helps me . '' The 20-year-old Azarenka has now lost five of her eight WTA Tour finals . `` It 's not about power . It 's more about precision that she was making it on the lines close to the lines , '' Azarenka said . `` Venus came off with some big shots , and , you know , I think overall the game was really good . `` Very high quality of tennis from both of us . Just , you know , a little bit of bad luck on a few balls . But I 'm proud of what I did today . '' Meanwhile , top seed Maria Sharapova claimed her 21st career title and her first of
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Venus Williams claimed the 42nd title of her glittering career as she successfully defended her Dubai Tennis Championship crown on Saturday . The American defeated fourth seed Victoria Azarenka of Belarus 6-3 7-5 in the final , having also won their only previous encounter at the 2008 Beijing Olympics . The victory lifted Williams into 11th place on the all-time list , moving her one title ahead of the recently-returned Justine Henin to make her the most successful player currently active on the WTA Tour . The former world No. 1 , seeded third in the absence of her top-ranked younger sister Serena and No. 2 Dinara Safina , won the opening set in controversial circumstances with the only break after using the Hawkeye system to challenge a line call on Azarenka 's second serve at 3-2 . The 29-year-old Williams romped to a 2-0 lead in the second set , but Australian Open quarterfinalist Azarenka leveled at 3-3 and games went with serve until 5-5 . Williams broke then with a forehand passing shot , highlighting the extra power she said had given her an edge . `` Obviously , my serve is a big