By Erik Gudris | Wednesday, August 19, 2015
Former event champion Victoria Azarenka defeated Caroline Wozniacki for a fourth time in 2015. This time at the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati.
Photo Credit: Getty Images
Another match, another win for Victoria Azarenka over her friend Caroline Wozniacki in 2015. This time at the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati, Ohio.
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The fifth seeded Wozniacki faced off against the unseeded Azarenka in a rain-delayed evening match that finally got underway just after nine o'clock. When the two players started, it was Azarenka who clearly didn't mind having to wait.
Azarenka broke Wozniacki at love to begin the opening set. Playing with precision and winning the bulk of the extended rallies, the 2013 event champion ripped back-to-back forehand winners to take a 3-0 lead.
Not looking back, Azarenka then claimed the set 6-0 thanks to forehand volley putaway winner.
Azarenka finally came back down to earth in the second set. As Azarenka began hitting a few more errors, Wozniacki's patience paid off. Down break point in the second game, Azarenka lined up a forehand winner behind Wozniacki only to miss wide. That gave Wozniacki her first lead of the match that she extended to 3-0.
That advantage would be short-lived as Azarenka edged back in touch with Wozniacki for 3-all. The key stat of the match would be Wozniacki's inability to convert on break point opportunities. Azarenka fell behind 0-40 on her serve twice in the second set. Yet through a combination of Azarenka playing more aggressive, she would deny Wozniacki both times.
By 4-all, Azarenka had now saved 10 out of 11 break points against her.
Azarenka resumed control in the next game by once again taking control of the key extended rallies. Now holding a break point of her own, Azarenka won one more long baseline exchange by forcing Wozniacki to net.
Now leading 5-4, Azarenka faced pressure on her serve. Though she found herself at 30-all, Azarenka dug herself out of trouble to finally reach match point. Wozniacki would send a forehand long on the next point to give Azarenka the 6-0, 6-4 win.
"I was playing really well in the first set and executing my game. She's the type of player that you are not going to win six love, six love so at some point she is going to turn it up and she did in the second set," Azarenka said after the match. "I'm happy that I stayed strong and was aggressive and tried to play my game until the end and was able to turn it around."
Azarenka is now 4-0 this season against Wozniacki having won their previous meetings in Melbourne, Doha, and Rome. Azarenka will next face Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the next round.