By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Friday October 23, 2020
A rule of thumb in 2020: You can’t stop Victoria Azarenka, you can only hope to contain her.
Keyword: Hope.
The Belarusian couldn’t be contained by the WTA’s 2020 win leader on Friday in Ostrava as Azarenka powered past Elise Mertens 6-4 6-1 to book a semi-final with Maria Sakkari of Greece.
In their first meeting Azarenka shellacked the Belgian in the US Open quarterfinals, dropping just one game, but today the 31-year-old had to weather an early push from Mertens.
"She started the match really well and I felt like she actually had adjusted her game a bit from New York, and it took me a bit of time to adapt to that as well,” Azarenka said.
Mertens did indeed start quickly and had the 4-2 lead to show for her fast start, but Azarenka quickly redoubled her efforts and dropped just one of the final 11 games to run away with the victory.
“I felt that everything was going my way today, I didn't expect the same result (as at the US Open), but I did feel like I was really in control after I adjusted my game and picked it up,” she said. “I felt that I made it very difficult for her to earn points."
Azarenka will look forward to a meeting with Sakkari on Saturday. The unseeded Greek rallied for a 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 victory over Ons Jabeur on Friday.
Sakkari fell behind by a set and a break before rallying to take 12 of the final 14 games. The 25-year-old Greek improves to 20-10 on the season and reaches her second semifinal.
"She came up with some good shots - tricky shots as well - in the first set,” Sakkari said after her win. “I couldn't really find a way to make her life tougher. But you know just the fact that I know that I can stay on court for a long time gives me a lot of help and hope."
The victory marks the Greek’s seventh three-set win of 2020.
"I was just like 'Stay with her, stay with her, stay with her' and finally I got that break that I was looking for and things got better for me after that,” Sakkari said.
Azarenka and Sakkari have never met before.
In the lower half of the draw American Jennifer Brady also rallied from a set down to defeat Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova, 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-1, to reach her fourth quarterfinal of 2020. The World No.26 will face either Sara Sorribes Tormo or Aryna Sabalenka in the semis on Saturday.