Victoria Azarenka has extended her winning streak to 12 matches after defeating Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber 6-2, 7-5, in the semifinals of the Miami Open.
The 13th seed endured a roller coaster encounter with Kerber in a match which consisted of 11 breaks of service (four for Azarenka and seven for Kerber). During both sets the Belarusian was able to capitalize on Kerber’s fragile first serve as the world No.2 failed to win over 50% of her first service points.
The straight sets triumph was far from easy for the double Grand Slam champion. Battling against a determined Kerber, Azarenka was unable to convert 7/11 of her break point chances. Serving for the match at 5-4, a costly double fault revived Kerber’s chances in the match as she levelled 5-5. Despite the blip, Azarenka restored her control of the match in the next game after an outstanding forehand dropshot gave her another break and a second opportunity to serve for the match. With her second chance, the world No.8 clinched the victory after a loose shot from Kerber landed out.
The victory is sweet revenge for Azarenka, who only loss of 2016 was against Kerber at the Australian Open. Following her 21st win of 2016, Azarenka said her serve aided her win over the German. During the match she won 64% of her first service points compared to Kerber’s 48%.
“I think it was a high-quality match for both of us. It was a lot of good striking, a lot of winners, and both of us taking opportunities,” Azarenka said following her triumph over Kerber.
“I think today I served really well, and I played to win in important moments. Momentum shifting, I think I was a little better today.”
Azarenka is now just one win away from winning back-to-back titles in Indian Wells and Miami. If she achieves the double, the 26-year-old will become only the third woman is history to do so after Steffi Graf (1994) and Kim Clijsters (2005).
“If I’m able to make it, it’s great,” The 26-year-old said about achieving the sunshine double.
“It seems so close, but it’s really far. I want to stay in the present. I want to continue to fight and keep getting better.”
In the final Azarenka will play tour veteran Svetlana Kuznetsova, who will be playing in her first Miami final since 2006. The two have played each other on eight previous occasions with the head-to-head level at 4-4. The upcoming Miami final will be their first meeting on the WTA tour since the 2013 Australian Open.
“We haven’t played each other in a while but I think we know each other pretty well,” Azarenka said about her upcoming final against Kuznetsova.
“The last time we played we were both in different stages of our career so it’s interesting to see us coming back and playing such a high level of tennis. It’s gonna be tough but I’m very looking forward to this challenge.”
The run in Miami by Azarenka has already guaranteed her a return back to the top five for the first time since May 2014. Plagued by numerous issues in recent times, the Belarussian dropped as low as 50th last year.
