Under the lights on the stadium court, Williams smashed 39 winners to defeat Azarenka 7-5, 6-3 in a rematch of the 2016 final, which the Belarusian won.
Having stolen the limelight from Davis Cup stalwart Stan Wawrinka, Roger Federer quickly turned attention towards his Switzerland team mates after securing the winning point in the final against France on Sunday.
Roger Federer produced a vintage performance to crush Richard Gasquet 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 and seal Switzerland's maiden Davis Cup title with a 3-1 win over hosts France on Sunday.
Rediff.com gives you a throwback to an eventful 2017, in pictures.
The Australian fell to the floor in celebration after clinching the victory, before sticking a finger behind his ear and asking the raucous crowd to cheer louder.
For Andy Murray, reaching Sunday's French Open final was a bonus, but he was in no mood to look for silver linings in the aftermath of yet another grand slam reverse at the hands of Novak Djokovic.
Raucous home support for holders Argentina did not make up for the absence of Juan Martin del Potro and Federico Delbonis on Friday as they fell 2-0 behind to Italy in the first round of the Davis Cup.
Rafael Nadal continued his brilliant revival at the Australian Open to topple Milos Raonic 6-4, 7-6(7), 6-4 on Wednesday and reach his first grand slam semi-final in three years.
Former world number one Serena Williams looked sharp in her return to the hardcourts after a week-long break, soundly defeating Daria Gavrilova 6-1, 6-2 on Monday to advance to the second round of the Cincinnati Masters.
Top seed Andy Murray could meet Roger Federer or Kei Nishikori in the third round, while Serena faces tricky Belinda Bencic in opening round
Images from Day 1 of the Australian Open, in Melbourne, on Monday.
Defending champion Novak Djokovic trounced stand-in David Goffin 6-1 6-2 for a clean sweep of his group at the ATP World Tour Finals on Thursday but spiced up a leisurely afternoon workout by picking a row with the umpire. The world number two, who will be joined in the last four by Milos Raonic after the Canadian beat Austrian Dominic Thiem 7-6(5) 6-3, began the week at London's O2 Arena quarrelling with a reporter and despite being relatively untroubled on court, there has been an edginess about the 12-times grand slam champion.
Andy Murray has already scaled the tennis summit but Japan's Kei Nishikori did his best to loosen his footing before falling in a three-hour thriller at the ATP World Tour Finals on Wednesday. Home favourite Murray's insatiable will power allowed him to prevail in a brutal encounter 6-7(9) 6-4 6-4, keeping him on course for his first title at the year-ender. Should he achieve that in his eighth attempt it would guarantee the 29-year-old end the year as world number one ahead of Novak Djokovic who would steal back the crown if he manages a fifth straight title at the O2 Arena.
IMAGES from the matches played on Day 4 of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on Thursday
Two-time champion Novak Djokovic thumped Spain's David Ferrer 6-4, 6-2 to march into the last four of the Shanghai Masters on Friday and set up a semi-final showdown with third seed Roger Federer.
The 23-times Grand Slam champion looked a completely different player from the person who smashed her way into the semi-finals of the doubles with Caroline Wozniacki on Wednesday but managed to do just enough to beat the 86th-ranked McHale.
Third seed Stan Wawrinka battled back after losing the first set to beat top-seeded defending champion Novak Djokovic 6-7(1-7), 6-4, 7-5, in the men's singles final of the US Open final at Flushing Meadows on Sunday.
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Wednesday.
Novak Djokovic overcame a battling Marin Cilic 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 to reach his sixth Cincinnati Masters final on Saturday while Roger Federer enjoyed a less-taxing route to the title match after his semi-final opponent David Goffin retired with a shoulder injury.
The match ended in 52 minutes as Williams played her forehand into the net.
Earlier on Wednesday, Czech Karolina Pliskova was forced to withdraw from the tournament due to a viral illness.
Stanislas Wawrinka entered the men's singles final at the French Open, beating Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-3, 6-7(1-7), 7-6(7-3), 6-4 in the first semi-final on Friday.
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal take to Rod Laver Arena to reprise one of the great sporting rivalries of the modern age on Sunday, a fitting climax to an Australian Open which has sent tennis back to the future.
A summary of Day Three's matches at the Wimbledon Championships.
Dhruv Munjal on why Novak Djokovic may yet win that highly contested title.
Images from Day 9 of the 2020 French Open at Roland Garros, in Paris, on Monday.
With fire in their bellies, former Grand Slam champs Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer are targetting a fresh return to the tennis courts in 2017.
It was Kristyna's first win over a top-five ranked player and she will go on to play fellow Czech Barbora Strycova in the quarter-finals.
Top seed Serena Williams made short work of Kazakhstan's Zarina Diyas in the third round of the BNP Paribas Open.
Rafael Nadal left German qualifier Yannick Maden no hope as he booked his ticket for the third round of the French Open in ruthless fashion with a 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 victory.
The Frenchman, seeded five, had no answer to left-hander Muller's swinging serve as he bowed out 6-4, 6-4.
Nick Kyrgios and Bernard Tomic gave Australia an unwanted reputation as a breeding ground for tennis brats during a tempestuous 2015 and the pair will be firmly under the spotlight in front of home crowds at Melbourne Park. With former world number one Lleyton Hewitt set to retire and the last of his two grand slam titles at the 2002 Wimbledon championships a distant memory, Australia has long yearned for a new force in men's tennis to challenge at the majors. Tomic, 23, and Kyrgios, 20, have both been tagged as the future of the sport in the country but the excitement generated by their undeniable talent gave way to dismay last season as the pair hogged the headlines for all the wrong reasons.
Rediff.com brings you the second instalment of the Best Sports Photos of the Year!
IMAGES from Day 6 of the French Open, at Roland Garros, on Friday.
Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer notched up contrasting victories to reach the Shanghai Masters quarter-finals on Thursday while David Ferrer fought back from a set down to knock out Andy Murray.
Polish fifth seed Agnieszka Radwanska was the highest women's casualty at the Miami Open on Saturday, blown away for the second time this year by Croatian Mirjana Lucic-Baroni.
The 36-year-old Australian Open champion arrived in the Dutch port city at the weekend knowing a run to the semi-finals will move him ahead of Rafael Nadal in the ATP standings.
Both players burn with heaps of motivation to hoist the winner's trophy at Arthur Ashe Stadium in the last grand moment of the 2015 slam season.
Sam Stosur powered into the French Open quarter-finals with a 7-6(0), 6-3 win against Simona Halep in Paris on Tuesday, adapting better to damp and heavy conditions than her higher-ranked Romanian opponent.
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