CARLSBAD, United States / California: Top seed Victoria Azarenka of Belarus advanced to the final of the $795,000 WTA Southern California Open on Saturday by defeating Serbian seventh seed Ana Ivanovic 6-0, 4-6, 6-3. Former world No. 1 Azarenka, who won three days past her 24th birthday, will play for the title Sunday against the winner of a later semi-final between Australian fifth seed Samantha Stosur and French wildcard Virginie Razzano. Two-time defending Australian Open champion Azarenka seeks her 17th career title and third of the season as she tunes up for the US Open, where she lost in the final last year. Razzano's remarkable run has included victories over two-time Grand Slam champion Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia, Czech third seed Petra Kvitova and eighth seed Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain. Stosur, the 2011 US Open champion and 2010 French Open runner-up, lost in last year's quarter-finals in her Grand Slam title defense at Flushing Meadows. (AFP)