Posts tagged Azarenka
Azarenka swats Sharapova in final
Aug 2nd
AFP
Eighth seed Victoria Azarenka of Belarus overwhelmed Russian fifth seed Maria Sharapova 6-4 6-1 in Sunday’s WTA tournament final in Stanford to win her first title of the season.
A day after her 21st birthday, Azarenka broke the Russian three times in the first set then took advantage of Sharapova’s 16 unforced errors in the second set while committing only one to win the $US700,000 ($A777,000) hardcourt event.
“I haven’t lost a match yet since I turned 21,” Azarenka said.
“It’s great. I can have cake now.”
Azarenka, who will jump to 12th in the world rankings, improved to 19-5 this season on hardcourts, the surface where she has won her four career WTA titles and where she will play at the US Open later this month.
“It just brings me so much confidence and passion to go, especially before the US Open,” Azarenka said.
“I’m glad I’m picking up my form and gaining so much confidence.”
Sharapova, who had won 17 of 20 prior matches, missed a chance to claim her third title of the year. She will improve to 13th in the rankings as she shows her best form since returning from a shoulder injury in May of 2009.
“I started making unforced errors off her returns and she stepped it up, took advantage and started to get on a roll,” Sharapova said.
“I don’t think I served that smart. I need a higher percentage of first serves, in general and particularly against her.”
Azarenka took the $A118,000 top prize and improved to 2-2 lifetime against Sharapova, her first victory over the Russian since 2007.
Azarenka needed four set points but finally took the first set when Sharapova sent a backhand wide. Azarenka twice rallied from 0-30 to hold serve, denying the Russian a third break to level.
“Maria is a great player. I had to dig my way in,” Azarenka said.
“I was running a lot. It was tough to hold my serve.
“I’m glad I kept fighting. Point by point it worked for me.”
Azarenka broke Sharapova to open the second set and again to seize a 4-1 lead and in the final game, which she claimed at love when Sharapova netted a forehand.
“I tried to start aggressive right away and not let her come in,” Azarenka said.
“When she gets on a roll it’s hard to keep up. I had to be on top of her every moment and not give her the chance to come back.”
Tennis-Azarenka thrashes Sharapova to win in Stanford
Aug 2nd
* Belarusian wins first title of year
* Caps impressive week as wild card (adds details, quotes and byline)
A charged-up Victoria Azarenka of Belarus won her first tournament of the year on Sunday by blowing away Maria Sharapova 6-4 6-1 in the final of the Stanford Classic.
In a breath-taking display of power tennis, Azarenka broke her three-time grand slam champion opponent six times, controlling the match with laser-sharp groundstrokes.
“This shows that I really believe in myself,” Azarenka told reporters. “It gives me a lot of confidence, especially going into the US open.”
The win capped an impressive week for wild card Azarenka, who earlier upended French champion Marion Bartoli in the quarter-finals and Australian world number five Samantha Stosur in the last four.
The two tall blondes went toe-to-toe early in the match, but the wheels came off for Sharapova when the Belarusian broke to lead 5-4 after ripping a backhand return winner. She then took the set after forcing a backhand error.
“I played a really sloppy game at 4-3, had some unforced errors off my return and she really stepped it up and took advantage of it,” said Sharapova, who amassed 27 unforced errors to Azarenka’s 13.
“I was always on defence after that. When I tried to get the ball rolling, I was a little too late.”
‘HAD TO FIGHT’
Azarenka then broke Sharapova to open the second set and never looked back, jumping on her serve and powering balls to the corners.
The match was sealed when Sharapova missed another backhand.
“I started aggressive right away because once she getting on a roll it’s hard to keep up,” said Azarenka, who came into the contest with a 1-2 record against Sharapova.
“I knew I had to fight and be on top of her every moment and not allow her to come back in the second set.”
Azarenka was particularly pleased with her service return during the final weekend, having blunted two of the tour’s most feared servers in Stosur and Sharapova.
“I always tell myself I have to (go) for my returns and not to step back,” she said.
Azarenka celebrated her 21st birthday on Saturday and is projected to rise to 12th when new rankings come out on Monday.
(Editing by Dave Thompson/Ian Ransom; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)
Maria Sharapova, Victoria Azarenka reach Stanford final
Aug 1st
STANFORD, Calif. — Maria Sharapova finds herself just playing tennis these days, a nice feeling after dealing with a return from major surgery a year ago.
Sharapova shook off a first-set loss to beat Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska 1-6, 6-2, 6-2 on Saturday in the Bank of the West Classic to set up a championship match against Victoria Azarenka.
Azarenka, from Belarus, celebrated her 21st birthday with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over top-seeded Samantha Stosur 6-2, 6-3.
Sharapova said she had to deal with doubts following her return to the tour in May 2009 after a 10-month absence due to shoulder surgery.
Her shoulder has held up and the doubts have evaporated.
“It’s been a long road,” she said. “I’m just so happy to come out and not worry about too many things. I’m happy to just play tennis.”
Fifth-seeded and 15th-ranked, Sharapova is undefeated in four semifinal matches this season and will be looking for her third title.
The Russian star and the third-seeded Radwanska are both expected to move up in the rankings when they are released Monday. Radwanska, 0-3 in semifinals, is projected to nudge into the top 10.
“She wins a lot of her matches by wearing down her opponents,” Sharapova said. “You always have to be ready for your shot to come back.”
Sharapova committed eight double faults, but none in the third set. She recorded four aces with a serve that reached 114 mph.
“I was all over the map for a little while but I started to be more patient,” she said. “I was making three unforced errors a game in the first set and that’s too many. I needed to cut down on those, which I did and little by little I played really solid.”
Sharapova has won 17 of her last 20 matches and hopes to crash Azarenka’s celebration.
“I’m legal!” Azarenka screamed, and waved her arms high over her head to acknowledge the crowd after her win. She reached her third final of the season and is looking for her first title of the year — though both of her potential opponents will offer a stiff challenge.
“They’re both great players,” said Azarenka, who also played a semifinal doubles match with Maria Kirilenko shortly after beating Stosur. “I have to be prepared.”
Azarenka has won 10 of her last 12 matches and is unbeaten in four career meetings against Stosur, who was playing her first tournament since reaching her career-high ranking at No. 5.
“I was pretty good on the return,” Azarenka said. “I think I just have long arms and that’s the key. If I can react fast enough I can usually get there.”
Victoria Azarenka beats Sam Stosur in Stanford semis
Jul 31st
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Victoria Azarenka celebrated her 21st birthday with victory over Sam Stosur in the semi-finals in Stanford, USA.
The Belarusian continued her return to form with a 6-2 6-3 win, breaking three times in the first set and holding the edge throughout the second.
Fifth seed Maria Sharapova faces Polish third seed Agnieszka Radwanska in Saturday’s second semi-final.
“I’m happy with the way I played. I’m finally injury-free and I’m enjoying my time on the court,” said Azarenka.
“[Stosur] has had such good results. I’m so happy at how I played against her.
“I started to move a little better as the match went on and I improved my defensive game and that helped my offensive game move forward.”
Azarenka, ranked 18th, is still seeking her first title of the season and ousted defending champion Marion Bartoli of France in the quarter-finals.
