Revisiting Victoria Azarenka's Ascendency At The 2012 Australian Open

It was against her (then-)friend Agnieszka Radwanska that Azarenka finally dropped her first set of the tournament. It was a strange set. Azarenka seemingly held the upper hand through most of it, breaking several times. But each time she did so, she got broken back. She even served for the set at 6-5, but got broken and subsequently mini-bageled by Radwanska in the tiebreak. The tables were turned on Azarenka as Clijsters came up with one punishing shot after another. In just 36 minutes, Clijsters had managed to force a third set.

A world-class tennis player at the top of her game, Azarenka is active on social media, engaged in philanthropy, and a favorite among U.S. fans. Her activities with Esurance will include appearances on the company's behalf along with other marketing and social media integrations. The 20-year-old Davis had beaten Yung-Jan Chan of Taiwan, 6-4, 6-3, in the first round. She'll face Varvara Lepchenko in the third round. She’s not so different from Andy Roddick. Like her, he was funny and smart with the press, but brutal to reporters who dared ask him a daft question. But Azarenka doesn’t enjoy the same praise that Roddick received for his approach.

LONDON - It was already one of the most tumultuous days in Grand Slam tennis history, with seven players forced out by injuries, two of the top three seeded women eliminated and six former No. 1-ranked players leaving early. So what else could happen to make this a day like no other at Wimbledon? How about the world's greatest grass-court player losing on his favorite Centre Court to a 116th-ranked qualifier who had never beaten a top-10 player. Seven-time champion Roger Federer was stunned by Sergiy Stakhovsky in the second round at the All England Club yesterday, his earliest loss in a Grand Slam tournament in 10 years.

In women’s tennis, there’s the ever-popular Serena Williams, who enjoys broad support as one of the greatest tennis players of all time. There’s Maria Sharapova, a beloved mainstay whose fightback after shoulder surgery proved her professionalism and commitment to the game. There’s Agnieszka Radwanska, voted a WTA fan favorite for her crafty game and fun personality off the court. Azarenka triumphed in such dominating and rapid fashion over Heather Watson in her opening match that nobody appears to have captured highlights on YouTube. She won, 6-1, 6-0, over her up-and-comer opponent.

It has been almost two years since Serena Williams left the U.S. Open, beaten in the semifinals by Kim Clijsters after Williams lost her temper, threatened a lineswoman who had called a foot fault and left a permanent video record of how athletes are not supposed to behave in public. Williams missed last year's Open and most of an entire tennis season after several health issues stemming from an original injury to her foot. She returned to the spotlight at Wimbledon, where she lost in the fourth round.

Revisiting Victoria Azarenka's Ascendency At The 2012 Australian Open 2014-05-20T08:28:00-07:00 Rating: 4.5 Diposkan Oleh: Unknown