By Chris Oddo | Friday, February 27, 2015

 

Victoria Azarenka overcame a furious start from Venus Williams to triumph in three sets and reach the Doha final.

Photo Source: Qatar Total Open

The Wim Fissette era is beginning with a bang for Victoria Azarenka in Doha, thank you very much.

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In her first event with her new coach at the helm, the oft-injured world No. 48 has claimed three top 20 scalps and raised quite a few eyebrows when it comes to the impact she might be able to make on the WTA Tour for the remainder of the season.

Unseeded, unrelenting and very much on a mission to get back to the top of the game, Azarenka notched her first career win over Venus Williams on Friday to set up a final with Lucie Safarova at the Qatar Total Open.

The Belarussian’s 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 victory marks her 13th straight win in Doha, and places her in her first final in more than a year (Brisbane, 2014).

Azarenka was hit off the court in the first set by an in-form Williams, but she caught her breath, shored up her game, and went on the attack to claim the victory.

"I had to change something after the first set. Otherwise, it was going very one-way street," Azarenka said after the match. "And Venus is the type of player that she's not going to give anything. You have to fight hard and try to come up with the solutions.”

After forcing a decider Azarenka ran with the momentum to reel off the first four games of the final set. Williams, in typical fashion, rallied back to make Azarenka sweat, but she could not avoid falling to Azarenka for the first time in five career matches.

Azarenka will bid for her third Doha title on Saturday when she faces southpaw Safarova in the final. Safarova tossed aside Carla Suarez Navarro with a strong performance in the first semifinal on Friday, 6-3, 6-2.

Azarenka holds a 6-0 lifetime edge against the Czech, but they have not met since 2011.