Victoria Azarenka defends Stanford Title by defeating Maria Sharapova
Victoria Azarenka’s 21st birthday proved to come as a blessing in disguise. The No. 8 seed grabbed her first title of the season by defeating Russian player Maria Sharapova 6-4, 6-1. The young Belarusian player was excited about the win and declared the match to be one of her best performances.
She expressed her delight after getting a chance to compete with top notch tennis stars from across the globe. The 21-year-old tennis player dropped her racket to the ground after the match concluded as she strolled towards the net to shake hands with Maria Sharapova. She then hugged her coach and acknowledged the audience for their support. This modest reaction lasted for a few minutes until Azarenka grabbed the Bank of the West Classic Trophy with verve. Later on, Victoria was heard chirping in the press conference. The player commented that she was focusing on altering her style in the court so that her playing strategy does not become monotonous and full of similar moves. She also added that the significant part of the game was to keep the mind active on the court and to translate your thoughts into actions.
In the doubles event, Liezel Huber partnered with Lindsay Davenport to defeat China’s Zheng Jie and Taiwanese Chan Yuang-Jan with scores of 7-5, 6-7 (8), 10-8. Davenport was overwhelmed with her victory in Stanford which was her first WTA triumph since 2008.
Azarenka turned 21 on Saturday, but she refused to rejoice her birthday bash until the tournament was over. To her triumph, the young player defended the title and got double reasons to savour her birthday cake. Victoria was heard discussing her birthday plan to Melanie Oudin, an American teenager in San Diego. The player said that she wanted to celebrate with her family and friends, and, enjoy cakes and ice creams.
The young Belarusian player was awarded with $ 107,000 for her win. This is her first victory against Sharapova in three years and four career meetings.
When questioned about her playing strategy, Victoria stated, “I tried my best to start off big and not let her gain control on the game. It would have been very tough for me to catch up with her, if she was on roll. I focused on keeping ahead of her and making sure that she did not have a chance to strike back. “
Victoria was fortunate enough to win six out of eleven break points, allowing her to maintain her momentum in the return game. She enjoyed 57 percent of her return points that included 12 points out of a total of 15. “She knows how to retain her poise,” Sharapova said. “She manages to get many balls and each one of them proves to be arduous.” Victoria explains that this is her necessity. “I keep on telling myself that I have to attack the serve. I keep pushing myself towards my limits. I have to have my returns on all costs.”
After winning her fourth title, Azarenka is now the number 12th tennis player in the world. Earlier, Sharapova expected to take this ranking by winning three titles in a single year. Now, she is rated as the 13th ranked tennis player of the world. Sharapova stated, “Victoria as been in the top ten rankings and already has remarkable victories in her tennis career. I did not realize her stamina in the returns and she stepped up and took the reins of the play in her hands.” Maria plans to start afresh after a week off in Cincinnati.
“I did not serve up to mark,” Sharapova said. “I need to focus on my first serves, particularly against her. I’m sure I’ll have the chance to play here again.”
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