Victoria Azarenka to participate in next season’s Brisbane International – Tennis News
Reigning world number one, Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, will feature at the Brisbane International for the third time in her career during next season.
It will be the only lead-up tournament which Azarenka will take part to warm up for the Australian Open, where she will be defending the first Grand Slam of the year.
The Belarusian will have to be at her best to topple the star studded line up at the Brisbane International. The 23-year-old is a former champion here, beating the then world number 17 from France, Marion Bartoli, in the final
in 2009. She made her debut at the event when it was held in Gold Coast in 2008, losing to China’s Li Na in the title match.
Confirming her participation at the event, Azarenka stated, "I am really looking forward to returning to Brisbane. The city is beautiful, the venue is first class and I thoroughly enjoyed playing there in 2009 when I won.”
Azarenka gave some brilliant performances in the 2012 season. She begun at the Apia International Sydney, overcoming the then world number five, China’s Li Na, to grab the title. That performance gave a start to one of the longest
winning streaks in the history of the sport. Azarenka won 26 back to back matches, capturing four titles including Apia International Sydney, Australian Open, Qatar Total Open and BNP Paribas Open.
The Belarusian lost her first match of the season in the quarter-finals of the Sony Ericsson Open. She ended as the losing finalist at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, Mutua Madrid Open and the US Open. The right-hander won two more
titles during the ending weeks of the season at the China Open and Generali Ladies Linz.
Azarenka added, "I am very proud to have ended the year as world No.1. I am excited to start my 2013 campaign in Brisbane. I know I will get some tough matches against the world's best there, which is perfect preparation leading
into the Australian Open where I aim to defend my 2012 title."
The Belarusian will fight against eight of the top 10 players in the world at the Brisbane International, including the two former top ranked players, Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams. The other contenders who are in the top-10
ranking are Angelique Kerber, Sara Errani, Petra Kvitova, Samantha Stosur and Caroline Wozniacki. The tournament will be held from December 30 to January 6.
Tags: