Azarenka seals year-end No. 1 spot with Li victory
Source: Agencies |
October 28, 2012, Sunday
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VICTORIA Azarenka of Belarus will finish the year as world No. 1 after a 7-6 (4), 6-3 win over China's Li Na in her final round-robin match at the WTA Championships in Istanbul on Friday.
The Australian Open champion managed the two wins she needed in the round-robin competition to end 2012 in top spot by beating Germany's Angelique Kerber on Wednesday and then Li.
Azarenka now faces world No. 2 Maria Sharapova in the semifinals with the Russian, who beat Sam Stosur 6-0, 6-3 on Friday, having already sealed first place in the White Group before playing the Australian who could not reach the last four.
Poland's fourth seed Agnieszka Radwanska will play 15-time grand slam champion Serena Williams in the semis after overcoming seventh-seeded Italian Sara Errani 6-7 (6), 7-5, 6-4 in the longest match ever played at a WTA Championships which lasted three hours, 29 minutes.
Azarenka becomes the 11th year-end No. 1 since the WTA began its rankings in 1975 and the fifth this century.
"It's kind of difficult to believe that a little girl from Belarus is on that list," the 23-year-old said. "But it's really an incredible achievement.
"When I started to play tennis I had this big picture in my head that I want to be there. Back then it was so far away. It was like pretty much touching the sky," added Azarenka.
The Belarussian broke Li when the eighth-ranked Chinese served for the first set at 5-4 and was forceful in the tiebreak, winning it 7-4.
Azarenka dominated the action off the ground for much of the second set and sealed the match after forcing Li into a forehand error in a hard-hitting rally.
Radwanska, who had lost to Sharapova in a three-hour and 12-minute marathon last Wednesday, had to pull out all the stops to get past the determined Errani.
The Italian won the first set 8-6 in the tiebreak after coming out ahead in a 34-ball rally and pumped her fist in delight while Radwanska angrily threw her racket to the ground.
Errani fought off four break points to hold for a 5-4 lead in the second but Radwanska responded brilliantly, winning 12 of the next 13 points to take the set 7-5.
"When I'd played for so long already I was thinking, just pretty much fight until the end," Radwanska said.
Errani troubled the Pole with a mix of heavy topspin and relentless retrieving but was unable to stay as mentally focused as the 2012 Wimbledon finalist, who nearly squandered a 3-0 lead in the third set but finally managed to win.
The Australian Open champion managed the two wins she needed in the round-robin competition to end 2012 in top spot by beating Germany's Angelique Kerber on Wednesday and then Li.
Azarenka now faces world No. 2 Maria Sharapova in the semifinals with the Russian, who beat Sam Stosur 6-0, 6-3 on Friday, having already sealed first place in the White Group before playing the Australian who could not reach the last four.
Poland's fourth seed Agnieszka Radwanska will play 15-time grand slam champion Serena Williams in the semis after overcoming seventh-seeded Italian Sara Errani 6-7 (6), 7-5, 6-4 in the longest match ever played at a WTA Championships which lasted three hours, 29 minutes.
Azarenka becomes the 11th year-end No. 1 since the WTA began its rankings in 1975 and the fifth this century.
"It's kind of difficult to believe that a little girl from Belarus is on that list," the 23-year-old said. "But it's really an incredible achievement.
"When I started to play tennis I had this big picture in my head that I want to be there. Back then it was so far away. It was like pretty much touching the sky," added Azarenka.
The Belarussian broke Li when the eighth-ranked Chinese served for the first set at 5-4 and was forceful in the tiebreak, winning it 7-4.
Azarenka dominated the action off the ground for much of the second set and sealed the match after forcing Li into a forehand error in a hard-hitting rally.
Radwanska, who had lost to Sharapova in a three-hour and 12-minute marathon last Wednesday, had to pull out all the stops to get past the determined Errani.
The Italian won the first set 8-6 in the tiebreak after coming out ahead in a 34-ball rally and pumped her fist in delight while Radwanska angrily threw her racket to the ground.
Errani fought off four break points to hold for a 5-4 lead in the second but Radwanska responded brilliantly, winning 12 of the next 13 points to take the set 7-5.
"When I'd played for so long already I was thinking, just pretty much fight until the end," Radwanska said.
Errani troubled the Pole with a mix of heavy topspin and relentless retrieving but was unable to stay as mentally focused as the 2012 Wimbledon finalist, who nearly squandered a 3-0 lead in the third set but finally managed to win.
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