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By Erik Gudris / Sunday, January 19, 2014
In a rematch of their controversial semifinal from last
year, Victoria Azarenka easily handled Sloane Stephens to
reach the elite eight in Melbourne.
Photo Credit: Corleve
Defending champion Victoria Azarenka
posted a straight sets win over American Sloane
Stephens to reach the Australian Open quarterfinals on
Monday.
Prior to their impending fourth round match, expectations grew
largely due to it being the players’ first meeting since their
controversial semifinal at the same event last year. In that
one, Azarenka was accused of gamesmanship for having taking a
medical time out when she was unable to close out the match
before winning in straight sets.
If Azarenka wanted to make a statement about all of that prior
brouhaha, she did so with her tennis. The two-time defending
champion jumped out to an early 3-1 lead largely helped by
Stephens’ inability to find the range on her shots.
Perhaps the most entertaining and somewhat dramatic juncture of
the match happened midway through the first set. With Azarenka
up at net, Stephens tagged her opponent with a hard hit
backhand. While Stephens apologized several times, Azarenka
didn’t acknowledge her. A few points later, it was Azarenka’s
turn when she placed a volley that almost hit Stephens. The
American wasn’t ruffled at all as she laughed and then
applauded the shot.
Though Stephens began to play better, it wasn’t enough to get
her out of the earlier deficit she created. Another backhand
from Stephens that missed its mark gave Azarenka the set 6-3.
Stephens’ woes continued at the start of the second set. A
horrible game filled with mistimed shots from Stephens allowed
Azarenka to take a quick 1-0 lead. Though Stephens showed
glimpses of good shotmaking, she had few answers against
Azarenka’s stifling on-court defense. Down 0-2, an exasperated
Stephens looked up at her new coach Paul Annacone who could do
nothing to help his new charge sort herself out.
The last real moment of relevancy for Stephens came in a very
long fifth game. With Azarenka finding all kinds of angles from
the baseline and up at net, Stephens found herself fighting off
multiple break points. Stephens finally held with a forehand
winner for 2-3, but it didn’t put any real pressure on Azarenka
down the stretch.
Another break of serve for Azarenka a few games later allowed
her to serve for the match at 5-2. Azarenka delivered an ace
out wide to set up her first match point. She soon converted it
when Stephens struck a final errant forehand that seemed to sum
up her efforts on the afternoon.
Azarenka may have downplayed her expectations before the match.
But the extended fist pump and finger wave she gave as she
celebrated the 6-3, 6-2 win indicated she really wanted to make
a statement on the court. Both women gave each other a cordial
handshake and with that the match everyone had waited for was
over.
When asked if she thought this match was more competitive than
last year’s, Stephens disagreed. “No. I think both matches last
year and this year they were pretty competitive. The score
really, I mean, doesn’t reflect like what I guess was out
there. But like I said, she played well. I played pretty solid.
Of course, I would like to win more of those points in those
long games, but, you know, just keep working on it and trying
to do better next time.”
“You know, I never look at it what was the score. I know how I
felt out there. I felt like it was competitive. I just felt
that I managed to pick it up on the important moments and
really control the game. Even though sometimes, you know, I
missed few shots, I felt like I was doing the right thing. I
just wanted to apply that and keep working on that,” Azarenka
said afterwards about the match.
She will next face the winner of the Agnieszka
Radwanska versus Garbine Muguruza
match later tonight.
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