Victoria Azarenka vs. Petra Kvitova – Semi-final Preview: Wimbledon Championships 2011
World number five Victoria Azarenka is all set to take on Czech Petra Kvitova on Thursday in the first` semi-final of 2011 Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London, United Kingdom.
Seeded fourth, Azarenka is the highest remaining seed at the Women’s Tennis Association tournament. After other top seeded players such as Caroline Wozniacki, Li Na and William Sisters went out of the championships early, the Belarusian was expected to reach the semis and she achieved that in style by dispatching Tamira Paszek of Austria in the quarterfinal on Monday.
A couple of years back Azarenka made big news when she defeated Serena Williams in the final of Miami to claim title glory. Since then, she has improved her game play significantly as she secured her second Miami title a few months ago to prove that her win over Serena in 2009 was no fluke.
Azarenka is having a dream time on the WTA tour this season. She has bagged two WTA titles this year already and she is looking stronger than ever before. Having experienced four quarterfinal defeats in the Grand Slams previously, Azarenka has finally made the final four with her strong determination and fighting abilities.
"Since March I take my game and approach to the matches completely differently. I'm just trying to be happy on the court and looking forward to the challenges. I'm out there to do my best every day. I'm not afraid to lose a match or fail somewhere - I know if I do my best, I'll have no regrets," the Belarusian said.
Azarenka’s opponent, Petra Kvitova has also been in commanding form over the last few months. With three premier WTA titles to her name, Kvitova broke into the WTA top 10 for the first time in her career earlier this year. Having a wonderful record at the Major tournaments, the Czech has earned the reputation of being a big match player.
Defeating Tsvetana Pironkova earlier this week in the quarterfinal, she made it to the semi-final of the grass court championships for the second time in her career.
"Last year I learned I could play on grass and could beat anybody I played against and some top players too," Kvitova said. "Of course I was very happy after the semi-final, but then I felt I had to beat everybody I was playing, so it wasn't good for me. I lost five first round matches in a row afterwards. It was a bad experience, but I'm happy I have it.
The two players have contested four times on the tour prior to this meeting with a 2-2 head to head record. However, it should be noted that Kvitova has enjoyed more success in recent times, crushing the Belarusian in pair’s last two meetings.
The encounter is expected to be a tight one and produce three sets. However, considering Kvitova’s recent performances, she is more likely to pull off victory.
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