Victoria Azarenka has advanced to the Wimbledon third round armed with a new ally.
The former world No. 1, who played her entire pro career with a Wilson racket, has switched to Yonex.
Watch: Azarenka Rounding Into Form
Azarenka has been playing with a blacked-out Yonex frame.
She wielded it effectively defeating 15th-seeded Elena Vesnina, 6-3, 6-3, to set up a third-round clash with British wild card Heather Watson.
"I played with a Wilson racquet before, which was a model of my racquet that I played when I was 15 years ago, and I kind of always had the same shape, the same kind of model of the racquet," Azarenka said. "I used to play with Yonex actually when I was 11, 12, for about two years.
"Last year I was already talking with a brand, and we were trying to create a racquet that I would like, and obviously I was pregnant and didn't really have a chance to try. When I started coming back, we started working on a few racquets.
"They started to make more of a round shape racquet with a bigger sweet spot, which was attractive to me. I felt like Yonex has a lot of power and a lot of control. I was willing to try it. We worked really hard to be able to adjust the details that are needed for me, and, yeah, the brand, they are very good for that."
The two-time Australian Open champion is one of a few players who have switched to Yonex in recent months.
American men Steve Johnson, who previously played with Babolat, and Frances Tiafoe, who formerly played with a Wilson Blade, have both made the switch to Yonex, which also boasts WTA World No.1 Angelique Kerber, Stan Wawrinka, Nick Kyrgios, Martina Hingis, Belinda Bencic, Donna Vekic and Naomi Osaka on its player roster.
"Actually my coach took my old racquet and kind of started comparing the weight, because I didn't really pay attention that much to it before, and I wanted to add a little bit more to my racquet head to create a little bit more power but not too much," Azarenka said. "I still have the same control."
Photo credit: Michael Steele/Getty