from the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Newsroom

MIAMI, FL, USA – Victoria Azarenka capped an unforgettable fortnight on Saturday, surprising Serena Williams to win her third and by far biggest Sony Ericsson WTA Tour singles title at the Sony Ericsson Open.

Azarenka, who won her first two singles titles on the Tour earlier this season at International-level events in Brisbane and Memphis, cracked the world’s Top 10 after making the semifinals of the equally-big BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells two weeks ago, although the seeds were already made for Miami, and she weighed in at No.11.

That No.11 seeding didn’t stop her from going all the way to her biggest career final, however, as she lost a total of only 16 games to her first four opponents then defeated No.8 seed and former Sony Ericsson Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova in a marathon two-hour, 41-minute semifinal, 63 26 75.

On the other side of the draw, Williams – ranked and seeded No.1, and a five-time champion at the prestigious tournament – was struggling, winning tight three-setters against Chinese stars Zheng Jie and Li Na in the fourth round and quarterfinals, then edging a No.5-seeded Venus Williams in a much-anticipated semifinal, 64 36 63. And although the American had a 2-0 record against Azarenka it was somewhat misleading: in their most recent meeting, in the fourth round of the Australian Open earlier this year, Azarenka had won the first set before retiring due to dizziness and illness midway through the second set.

The stars were in line for Azarenka on Saturday, as the Belarusian pounded her huge groundstrokes deep up the middle and into the corners, while Williams – who was nursing a leg injury – just couldn’t keep up. The first set was tighter than the score indicated but the second set was a rout; Azarenka’s racquet went flying and she screamed in surprise after completing a shock 63 61 championship win.

“It was such an honor to play Serena, she’s just the greatest player for me,” Azarenka said in near-disbelief during the trophy presentation. “Serena’s a great champion. I love the way she plays and the way she is. I really wanted another chance to play her because in Australia we unfortunately couldn’t finish.

“I was so nervous in the last game. I couldn’t believe I had match point. I was thinking, ‘If I win this point, I don’t even know what would happen next.’ And then I double faulted. I’m just happy I could close it out in the end.”

Newsroom
April 4, 2009

Victoria Azarenka
© Getty Images
Azarenka Surprises Serena for Biggest Career Title

MIAMI, FL, USA – Victoria Azarenka capped an unforgettable fortnight on Saturday, surprising Serena Williams to win her third and by far biggest Sony Ericsson WTA Tour singles title at the Sony Ericsson Open.

Azarenka, who won her first two singles titles on the Tour earlier this season at International-level events in Brisbane and Memphis, cracked the world’s Top 10 after making the semifinals of the equally-big BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells two weeks ago, although the seeds were already made for Miami, and she weighed in at No.11.

That No.11 seeding didn’t stop her from going all the way to her biggest career final, however, as she lost a total of only 16 games to her first four opponents then defeated No.8 seed and former Sony Ericsson Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova in a marathon two-hour, 41-minute semifinal, 63 26 75.

On the other side of the draw, Williams – ranked and seeded No.1, and a five-time champion at the prestigious tournament – was struggling, winning tight three-setters against Chinese stars Zheng Jie and Li Na in the fourth round and quarterfinals, then edging a No.5-seeded Venus Williams in a much-anticipated semifinal, 64 36 63. And although the American had a 2-0 record against Azarenka it was somewhat misleading: in their most recent meeting, in the fourth round of the Australian Open earlier this year, Azarenka had won the first set before retiring due to dizziness and illness midway through the second set.

The stars were in line for Azarenka on Saturday, as the Belarusian pounded her huge groundstrokes deep up the middle and into the corners, while Williams – who was nursing a leg injury – just couldn’t keep up. The first set was tighter than the score indicated but the second set was a rout; Azarenka’s racquet went flying and she screamed in surprise after completing a shock 63 61 championship win.

“It was such an honor to play Serena, she’s just the greatest player for me,” Azarenka said in near-disbelief during the trophy presentation. “Serena’s a great champion. I love the way she plays and the way she is. I really wanted another chance to play her because in Australia we unfortunately couldn’t finish.

“I was so nervous in the last game. I couldn’t believe I had match point. I was thinking, ‘If I win this point, I don’t even know what would happen next.’ And then I double faulted. I’m just happy I could close it out in the end.”

Check out on-court and off-court photos straight from the Sony Ericsson Open in the Photo Gallery presented by Dubai Duty Free.

Azarenka becomes the sixth teenage champion in the Sony Ericsson Open’s history, joining an impressive list that includes Tour legends Steffi Graf, Monica Seles, Martina Hingis, Venus Williams and Gabriela Sabatini.

“This is really big. I would say it was the biggest moment in my career. I always wanted to get here, but I never thought I would. I guess my really wanting it made it happen. I’ve improved everything since last year. I just started believing in myself a little more, that I can win these matches and these tournaments.”

Williams was trying to become the first woman ever to win six singles titles in Miami. She is currently tied with Germany’s Steffi Graf with five.

“Even when I was down match point I thought I could still win; I didn’t really know how, but I thought it was a possibility,” Williams said. “I think she has really, really improved. I actually look forward to playing her again so I can do better. I’m not that bummed because I feel like there’s next week and next year, then there’s the year after and the year after. I definitely have it in me to try to tie that record, and then ultimately beat it.”

Like Indian Wells was two weeks earlier, Miami had its fair share of upsets, with the only Top 8 seeds reaching their expected quarterfinal slots being the Williams sisters and Kuznetsova. Jelena Jankovic lost in the second round to Gisela Dulko, while Dinara Safina, Vera Zvonareva and Ana Ivanovic all went out in the third round (to Samantha Stosur, Li and Agnes Szavay). Elena Dementieva was ousted in the fourth round by Caroline Wozniacki. Azarenka’s win over Williams in the final, her first over a world No.1, was a fitting ending to the upset-filled fortnight.

by Andrew Pentis, The Arizona Republic

After sneaking in a morning workout, Victoria Azarenka sits in front of the mirror, her third wardrobe change complete and a second layer of makeup applied. Then as she poses for the photographer, a fan blows her blonde hair past her broad shoulders. Noticeably giddy, she skips behind the camera to see the captured images.

“When they’re young, they love doing photo shoots,” whispers Azarenka’s agent, John Tobias, as he thumbs away at his BlackBerry.

The 19-year-old Azarenka – a Belarusian tennis transplant living in Paradise Valley – has other reasons to be giddy. She won her first two singles titles in the last two months. She will be back on the court this week at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif.

“Out of all the clients we represent, including Andy Roddick, including Justine Henin . . . I believe that Victoria Azarenka has the most upside,” Tobias, 31, says. “Now it’s one thing to have potential, and it’s another to see it through.”

Azarenka was born in Minsk, Belarus, which splits Poland and Russia on the world map and broke from the Soviet Union in 1991. While her mom worked at a local tennis center, Azarenka picked up a racket at age 7. A coach passing by asked her to join his group lesson.

“I said ‘no, no. I’m scared,’ because I always walked behind by mom,” Azarenka says.

When she was ready to walk on her own, she ran – right to the tennis court. Azarenka spent as many as 10 hours a day there and, on one particular day, hit 1,460 shots in a row. She counted.

The girl who was once afraid to leave her mother’s side moved to Spain at age 15. Then at 16, with the sponsorship of Nikolai Khabibulin and his wife, Victoria, she moved to the U.S. The Khabibulins are her connection to the Valley. She still lives with them and receives wide-ranging advice from Nikolai, a 13-year NHL goaltender from Belarus who played three seasons with the Phoenix Coyotes. The pair will chat about everything from the young men in Azarenka’s life to the food in her diet.

“I can always talk to him about anything,” she says. “He’s been through all these things.”

Azarenka, known as Vika to her friends and family, captured her first singles title Jan. 10 at the Brisbane International. About two weeks later she retired in her fourth-round Australian Open match due to illness, especially disappointing because she held a one-set advantage against now top-ranked Serena Williams.

“There are so many more great Australian Opens out there for her,” Williams told reporters post-match.

Azarenka rebounded in mid-February, winning her second singles title at the Cellular South Cup against her friend and fellow Tobias client, Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki. She’s up to No. 11 in the women’s world rankings, 12 spots ahead of Maria Sharapova. Likely two to three years from her prime, she is shy about reaching for No. 1, but asks, “If you don’t have that goal, what is the point to play?”

Azarenka already has surpassed $1.5 million in Tour earnings and has a Nike deal to boot.

“Sometimes I don’t feel like I’m 19. The years go by like two,” she says in English with a thin accent.

But she’s not growing up too fast to enjoy the journey. She has a Facebook page and her own Web site, admits to being a recovering shopaholic and loves to drive her Mercedes.

“On the court I’m a fighter. I will do anything to win,” she says. “Outside, I’m actually very, very nice.”

January 11, 2009, WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Saturday, January 10th, WTA Rising Teen Tennis Star and BEST Tennis client Victoria Azarenka captured her first Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Title at the Brisbane International in Australia. After reaching the final of four other Tour events (Gold Coast and Prague in 2008, and Estoril and Tashkent in 2007), the fifth final proved to “be a charm” for Azarenka who dominated 17th ranked Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli 6-3, 6-1 in seventy-one minutes at the Brisbane International Final.

“The way I was thinking on court was very different from before,” Azarenka said after the match. “I was playing every point, no matter what happened. I wasn’t thinking about the fact that I was playing in a final. I was thinking it was a regular match, regular points. That helped me because I didn’t really believe I’ve won yet. Everybody says the third time is the charm, but for me it’s the fifth – I’m just glad I finally got it!”
Azarenka, who was seeded two at the Brisbane International, defeated Lucie Safarova 6-4, 6-4 in the quarterfinals and crushed Sara Errani 6-3, 6-1 in the semifinals en route to the final.

In addition to this, the 19-year-old Belarusian Azarenka is one of the youngest players ranked in the top 15 in the world (at #14) starting the 2009 season, with 2008 being her first top-twenty finish. As a junior player, Azarenka was a Junior Grand Slam Singles Champion at the 2005 Australian Open and US Open, and also was the ITF Junior World Champion in 2005.

Azarenka currently has endorsement partnerships with Nike clothing and shoe apparel, and Head racquets. For more information on Victoria Azarenka, please visit http://www.vikaazarenkatennis.com/.