Rafael Nadal won the Qatar Open title while Serena Williams grabbed the WTA title in Brisbane.

Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams have once more confirmed their positions as the world number one in tennis in the men and women categories respectively. Rafael Nadal beat Frenchman Gael Monfils 6-1, 6-7, (5-7) 6-2 to win the Qatar Open title in Doha. It was his first title in Doha and gives him the perfect boost ahead of the Australian Open, which starts on Monday 13 January. It is also the first time the 27-year-old has won his opening tournament of the year. The Doha title was the 61st of his career.

  Meanwhile, Serena Williams successfully defended her Brisbane International title with a 6-4 7-5 win over second seed Victoria Azarenka. It was her 14th win in 17 meetings with Azarenka, whom she beat in last year's US Open final for her 17th Grand Slam. Williams is a five-time champion in Melbourne but has not won the title since 2010. The straight-sets defeat of Belarusian Azarenka, 24, extended her run of successive victories to 22. Brisbane was the perfect start to the New Year after her impressive record in 2013, in which she won 78 of her 82 matches and had a career-best run of 34 consecutive wins, which was ended by Sabine Lisicki in the fourth round at Wimbledon. She won 11 tournaments in 2013.

While it has been good news for Serena, it has been dwindling fortune for her sister Venus Williams who was forced to withdraw from a tournament in Hobart next week due to an injury on the wrist. She said she prefers taking some rest and prepare for the upcoming Australian Open.