Victoria Azarenka edges past Nadia Petrova to reach the last eight – London Olympics 2012
World number one, Victoria Azarenka, was tested to her limits by the 30-year-old Russian star, Nadia Petrova, in the third round of the London Olympics on Wednesday. However, she survived the scare to win the match in straight
sets 7-6(4), 6-4.
It was the sixth match between the athletes at the professional platform and Azarenka extended her lead to 4-2 in the head-to-head series with this victory. It was a very tight match and the 23rd ranked Russian deserved
to have another shot at the quarter-final spot in a form of a third set battle.
Azarenka commented at the end of the match, "I was down 6-3 in the tie-break and it didn't look really good for me, but I tried to stay tough and take it one by one and get even, and when I got my opportunity, I took it. It was
a tough one. We were really toe-to-toe out there. The difference was a few balls and opportunities."
The opening set witnessed a dry game, featuring bulk of serve holds from both competitors. None was ready to bow down and had a perfect game plan that was executed with utmost command at the grass courts of All England Lawn Tennis
Club, Wimbledon.
The Belarusian top seed was witnessed slighty under pressure in the third game of the match but she survived the scare from deuce to win the game and keep the scores together. No breakpoints throughout the set enforced a tie-breaker
round into play.
Petrova with so much experience at her disposal was expected to give tough time to the match favourite Belarusian and she did extended the tie-breaker round to some extent before losing a critical mini-break towards the end.
Azarenka commenced the second set with a tight serve hold whereas her opponent faced no difficulty at all in holding on to her serve. Moreover, the 22-year-old Belarusian was forced to drop a breakpoint, courtesy to three back-to-back
winners from the 16th seed Russian. The scores moved on to 4-1 in favour of Petrova after she held her serve to consolidate her position after winning a breakpoint.
Azarenka stayed in the hunt for a breakthrough and finally got one in the ending stages of the match. She continued to pile the pressure on her rival and won another breakpoint in the alternative game that closed all doors of a
comeback for the Russian.
Victoria Azarenka locks horns with the seventh seed German, Angelique Kerber, in the quarter-final.
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