Top seed Victoria Azarenka has advanced to the final of the WTA Southern California Open by defeating Serbian seventh seed Ana Ivanovic 6-0 4-6 6-3.

Former world No.1 Azarenka will play for the title on Sunday against the winner of the 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 this week 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 defence at Flushing Meadows.