Victoria Azarenka advances to the third round at 2011 Sony Ericsson Open
2009 Sony Ericsson Open champion Victoria Azarenka defeated Lucie Hradecka of Czech Republic in three sets 7-5, 4-6, 6-0 on Friday to advance in to the third round of 2011 Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Florida.
The first set was played on a highly competitive note. Azarenka held on to her serve games and then broke the challenger in one of the games to take the set 7-5.
In the following set Hradecka lifted her game and put up a better performance. Although she suffered a serve break early in the set she broke back twice to level the set score 1-1. Hradecka played some admirable tennis in the second
set and scored crucial point with her blistering serve. The Czech pressurized Azarenka and forced her to play defensively.
The final set was expected to be a tight one but as it turned out Azarenka blew away her opponent without dropping a single game in the set. World number 8 used her forehand and backhand shots to great effect and played aggressively
from the baseline. Azarenka converted the very first match point to secure a comfortable win in a match that last for more than 2 hours and 30 minutes.
Azarenka shots execution was masterful and she was dominant in nearly all aspects of the game. Her first serve conversion was an impressive 71 percent and she managed to win 74 percent of the points on her serve. In addition to
her strong attacking ability she had formidable defense which allowed her to play her natural game freely. Hradecka on the other hand wasted her opportunities and hence paid the price. The Czech converted only 2 out 9 break points and made 9 double faults.
Her unforced errors certainly played their part in deciding the outcome of the contest.
"As a person (winning the title in 2009) didn't change me at all," Azarenka said in a post match interview. "As a player probably some people realized my name. But you know, I don't feel much difference except the experience you
get. You know, the feeling that next time you walk on the court (for) a big match you don't feel as nervous as I probably was."
Two years ago, Azarenka made history when she defeated 5 time Champion Serena Williams in the final of Sony Ericsson Open to lift her first premier Women’s Tennis Association title. The Belarusian has produced stunning performances
on the tour since then and now has 5 WTA titles to her name. She reached her career high ranking of world number 6 in October 2009 and has consistently remained in the top 10 in WTA rankings.
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