By Chris Oddo | Monday, June 23, 2014
Victoria Azarenka is back in action after a lengthy layoff, nabbing a solid first-round win. Can she make a run at Wimbledon 2014?
(Photo Credit: Getty)
Victoria Azarenka shook off the rust of a three-month hiatus due to a lingering foot issue nicely on Monday afternoon, scrapping her way past former Wimbledon semifinalist Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, 6-3, 7-5, to earn her first win since this year’s Australian Open.
The Belarusian, who is seeded eighth, cracked 20 winners and converted six break points on 13 opportunities to pull through in 92 minutes.
Azarenka will face Serbia’s Bojana Jovanovski in the second round.
Azarenka, who suffered an injury after taking a spill in the first round at Wimbledon last year, was relieved to escape her opener unscathed, and she’s looking forward to finding her game as the fortnight progresses.
“Getting my game together again, and the timing, is a long process,” she said after the match. “But the important thing is that I’m there 100 percent. My focus is there. My desire and concentration is there. That’s all I can ask for in myself.”
Azarenka fell behind 5-3 in the second set, but managed to fight back to win the last four games, saving a set point in the process. Though it was not the command performance that we’ve become accustomed to seeing from Azarenka in her heyday, the two-time Grand Slam champion is simply thrilled to be working her way back into the mix. "Well, I'm just very happy to be able to play,” she said. “This is what I love to do. The best feeling is to play pain-free.”
In other first-round action, second-seeded Li Na survived an early fight from qualifier Paula Kania of Poland to advance in straight sets, 7-5, 6-2.
Two upsets occurred early on Day 1, as 17th-seeded Sam Stosur fell to Yanina Wickmayer in three sets, and 18th-seeded Sloane Stephens saw her run of making the second week at majors snapped at six when she fell to Maria Kirilenko in straight sets.