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For a second last year, Victoria Azarenka thought about quitting.
This year Azarenka is more than just No. 1 in the world. The number that matters right now is 15.
Since the start of 2012, Azarenka hasn't dropped a match, giving her a 15-match win streak.
On Friday, the Belarusian tennis star advanced to the semifinal round at the Qatar Open after defeating Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium 6-0, 6-4. The match lasted one hour and seven minutes, and Azarenka won more than 60 percent of her first and second service points.
Last year Azarenka didn't even make it out of the first round when she suffered a loss to Daniela Hantuchova.
From The Times of India on Azarenka's almost-withdrawal from the WTA last year:
"Every time I was stepping on the court, it was a misery to me. So I just told my mom, I don't want to play anymore because it's not fun. ... She's like 'You know what? I think maybe you're tired, you're burned out. Just come home and see what happens.' And then a few long talks with my grandmother and I kinda bounced back. I realized there are more important things in life than just losing a tennis match."
All three other seeds advanced on Friday. Tournament No. 3 seed Sam Stosur won after a three-setter against Monica Niculescu of France, 6-2, 2-6, 6-3.
On Saturday, for the first time in the tournament, seeds will face each other when No. 1 seed Azarenka plays No. 4 seed Agnieszka Radwanska. Stosur will play No. 5 seed Marion Bartoli.
Compared to Day 2's uproar of upsets, Day 3 only had a blip on the radar of lost seeds in the 2012 Qatar Open.
No. 14 seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia was the only seed to lose in the third round of the tournament in Doha. She dropped her match 7-6 (6), 6-3 to Lucie Safarova of the Czech Repubilc. The victory is Safarova's second upset of a seed in just three rounds. She knocked No. 2 seed Caroline Wozniacki from the tournament in the previous round.
From The Washington Post:
"I like to play on these courts and I feel confident here. I did very well last night against Caroline and followed that up with a very tough match against Svetlana," Safarova said. "Everything is just clicking together for me this week. I feel very good on serve and it's helping me to win points in key moments."
As for the rest of the seeds, No. 1 Victoria Azarenka beat her opponent, Simona Halep 6-3, 6-1 in a one hour and 20 minute match. The match started in Halep's favor when Azarenka fell to 3-1 in the first set. The tournament's No. 1 seed won the next eight games to bring the match to 3-0 before giving up her final game of the match before she went on to victory.
No. 3 seeded Sam Stosur also advanced to the quarterfinals. The Australian defeated Petra Cetkovska 6-3, 6-2. Stosur won 71 percent of her first service points.
No. 4 seeded Agnieszka Radwanska and No. 5 seeded Marion Bartoli also won their third round matches in straight sets.
No seeds will face for the fourth straight day in Doha.
Bye bye, Caroline Wozniacki.
See ya later, Jelena Jankovic.
Sorry it ended early, Vera Zvonareva.
Does anyone know how to tell Ana Ivanovic "adios" in Serbian?
That's just four of the six top seeds that were knocked out of the Qatar Open in Doha during Day 2.
Day 2.
Six seeds lost and five seeds advanced. Among those advancing were the tournament's No. 1 seed Victoria Azarenka and No. 3 seed Sam Stosur.
Azarenka dropped only one game in her victory and Stosur walked away with the second-set tiebreaker for the win.
However, the Dane's best tennis player is continuing to struggle on the WTA circuit. Wozniacki lost her No. 1 ranking and her new coach of two months all after dropping from the Australian Open with a quarterfinals loss to Kim Clijsters.
Now, Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic beat her in three sets in the second round 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (3) in a match that lasted two hours and 28 minutes. Safarova finished her second top 30 season in 2011. She is currently ranked No. 24 in the WTA. Wozniacki was the tournament's No. 2 seed.
From Australia's Perth Now:
"I just want to get out of here (the media conference room). You don't want to stay when you lose a match like that,'' said Wozniacki. "It's really disappointing but you have to move on."
Jankovic lost in straight sets to Sharhar Peer of Israel 7-6 (3), 6-2. Jankovic, the tournament's No. 8 seed, won only 35 percent of her second-serve points.
Zvonareva, the No. 6 seed, retired with a hip injury when the score was against her at 3-2 in the second set. Ivanovic, the No. 13 seed, lost in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4.
Due to all of today's upsets, no seeds will meet in the third round of the tournament.
Daniela Hantuchova didn't stay long in Doha at the 2012 Qatar Open. The tournament's No. 15 seed didn't advance past the first round, despite a three-hour match.
Hantuchova was defeated by Romanian Simona Halep, ranked No. 62 in the WTA list. The match took two hours and 32 minutes, in Halep's favor 3-6, 6-2 7-6 (4).
From the AFP:
"This is one of the best wins of my career, she is a good player, but I'm happy to go into the second round," said Halep after beating the 15th seed.
But Hantuchova isn't the only tournament seed to take an early exit. No. 9 Sabine Lisicki who was ousted by countrywoman Angelique Kerber, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1.
Kerber won the Paris Open on Sunday. It's her fourth time in four matches that Kerber has defeated Lisicki.
The top eight players were already into the second round after receiving first-round byes. They begin play on Wednesday. Those seeds include world No. 1 Victoria Azaranka and former world No. 4 Caroline Wozniacki.
Qatar Open 2012 Finals Results : No. 1 Seed Victoria Azarenka Takes Home Doha Title, Now 17-0
Victoria Azarenka did what a No. 1 seed does with her new title.
She won a tournament.
The 2012 Qatar Open in Doha was her first WTA title under the No. 1 ranking.
Azarenka had a pretty smooth road to the finals, despite the second set of her semifinal match. It looked like Azarenka might be done for the tournament when she went down with an ankle injury.
But the No. 1 seed fought through the pain in her left foot, even seeking medical treatment, and won that match 6-2, 6-4.
On Sunday, she took down No. 3 Sam Stosur in straight sets, 6-1, 6-2 to walk away with the trophy. Azarenka leaves Doha with more than just hardware, though. She is now 17-0, the only player on the WTA to have such a ranking. The win was also her third straight Premier-level WTA title.
If a lopsided final and a unbeaten streak wasn't enough to back up that No. 1 ranking, Azarenka lost fewer games on her way to the WTA title than any other WTA champion in 2012. Azarenka gave up only 18 games. The fewest before that was 29. The Belarusian tennis player did not give up a set all tournament.
From Pakistan's The Nation:
Feb 19 10:41p by Stephanie Kuzydym - 0 comments