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.
