The 2012 BNP Paribas Open held the final match in the women's competition in Indian Wells on Sunday. The highly-anticipated match pitted the No. 1- and No. 2-ranked women's singles players in the world against one another, as top player Victoria Azarenka went up against Maria Sharapova. In the end, the match was anticlimactic, as Sharapova was thoroughly overwhelmed. Azarenka absolutely demolished her opponent in straight sets, 6-2, 6-3.

Azarenka's year is already off to a historically hot start. The world's No. 1 player has begun 2012 with 23 straight wins, which is the fourth-best start to a year of competition in the history of professional women's tennis. She will have a chance to catch up to the other women on the list before all is said and done. The record is held by Steffi Graf, who began 1987 with 45 wins. The number that Azarenka is currently chasing is 37 straight wins, held by Martina Hingis in 1997 and Martina Navratilova in 1978.

For all updates and results from the BNP Paribas Open, please keep checking this StoryStream, or visit SB Nation's dedicated tennis hub.