Marion Bartoli stomps Victoria Azarenka’s unbeaten streak of the season – Sony Ericsson Open 2012
An absolute shocker was witnessed in the quarter-final draw of the Sony Ericsson Open when the seventh-ranked Frenchwomen, Marion Bartoli, registered a thumping straight sets victory over the reigning world number one, Victoria
Azarenka of Belarus, on Wednesday. Seventh seed Bartoli took one hour and 37 minutes of play to formulate a stunning twin-set victory at 6-3, 6-3, ravaging the 26-match winning streak of Azarenka to reach the semi-final of the mega event.
The crowd at Miami, Florida, was in for a surprising outcome, with the top seed belligerent competitor crashing out of the WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) Premier-level tournament. Azarenka had already bagged four championship
titles and was having a 26-0 winning record in the 2012 WTA season while stepping on the court to face Bartoli. She had outplayed the French powerhouse earlier in the season-opening event of Apia International Sydney but Bartoli’s phenomenal performance on
Wednesday curtailed her trail to 3-8 in the head-to-head series against the Belarusian.
27-year-old French exhibited her amazing hard-court tennis skills throughout the contest, dominating every segment of the game with ease. She took hold of the momentum early and carried on with her impetus to register one of the
biggest upsets of the tournament. Bartoli’s all-round exceptional performance gave limited opportunities to Azarenka to have an impact on the game and she was clearly seen struggling in the match.
"The key for me tonight was belief, to really step on the court trying to win the match, having a game plan and going for my shots," said Bartoli. "When you play someone who has been winning so much, it's even harder because she
has so much confidence. And it was a very demanding match on the fitness side too, because she hits it extremely early and puts a lot of pressure on you, and makes you run a lot, especially side to side. I had to work very hard in the points and stay tough
physically and mentally, but at the end I was so happy I was able to do that and win tonight."
Bartoli’s 52 per cent first serve earned her 23 out of 34 points but the key difference between the two competitors lied in the number of break point conversions. Both players had 10 break opportunities apiece, with Azarenka converting
just three and Bartoli nailing six of her chances to come out as the dominant winner.
The French will play her semi-final match against the world number four, Agnieszka Radwanska, later this week.
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