Two friends seeded in the Top 10 faced off in the first match of the Australian Open women's quarterfinals, third-seeded Victoria Azarenka and eighth-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska, with the first spot in the semifinals up for grabs. It was, without a doubt, one of the strangest matches of the tournament so far. The two battled back and forth throughout the first set, culminating in a tiebreak, but Radwanska dominated Azarenka, who seemed completely out of gas already, even double-faulting in a crucial point in the match. Radwanska took the set 7-6 (7-0).
The second set told a different story. Though up a set, Radwanska came out completely flat, but curiously enough, Azarenka's body language did too. Azarenka looked dispirited and almost passive at times, though her play told a different story. She dominated Radwanska, using powerful ground strokes and shots that tickled the baseline to frustrate her, and took the second set 6-0.
Azarenka's body language started to pick back up in the third set, fist-pumping and shouting to match her trademark grunt/squeals. Radwanska looked completely defeated, failing to chase after 50/50 balls, getting no apparent adrenaline rush from winners despite being very much in contention for a spot in the semis. In the end, Radwanska couldn't overcome her friend, and didn't seem to want to. Azarenka wins 6-7 (0-7), 6-0, 6-2, and moves to the semifinals to face the winner of the Kim Clijsters-Caroline Wozniacki match.
For more coverage of the 2012 Australian Open, check back in with this storystream.
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