Azarenka Punches Past Stosur in 3rd-Set Breaker

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Azarenka Punches Past Stosur in 3rd-Set Breaker

By Chris Oddo

Sam Stosur loses to Victoria Azarenka in the 2012 US Open quarterfinals

(September 4, 2012)—Defending US Open champion Samantha Stosur finally figured out how to win a set against World No. 1 Victoria Azarenka on Tuesday. As far as the match goes, Stosur’s still not quite there yet.

Azarenka fought through a tense struggle to prevail against Stosur for the seventh consecutive time, 6-1, 4-6, 7-6(5) to reach the semifinals of the US Open for the first time.

After a fast start, today’s encounter wasn’t nearly as simple as her last six meetings with Stosur.

“You could feel the pressure,” said Azarenka. “We fought really hard, kept making each other run like crazy.”

Azarenka led 3-0 when the rain forced the players off court for over an hour. When they returned, the Belarusian finished off the 30-minute set with ease.

In the second, Azarenka encountered a more determined Stosur. The hard-fighting Aussie notched her first service break of the day to lead 1-0, and even though she gave it back immediately, the 28-year-old played superb tennis on both sides of the ball to gain a 4-3 lead with another service break.

With Stosur serving for the set, a fortunate let-cord winner at 30-all gave her a look at set point and she converted to win her first against Azarenka in fourteen attempts.

“She made me play my best tennis,” said Azarenka. “I was hoping for a few outs but she kept hitting the lines, kept hitting first serves.”

The match turned into a see-saw battle in the final set. Four consecutive service breaks served to increase the tension with each game, and when Stosur ripped an inside-out forehand winner to close to within 4-3, the crowd roared its approval for the brilliant tennis on display from both.

At 5-5 Azarenka used her only ace of the match to save a break point, then Stosur held to 15 to force a final-set tiebreaker.

In the tiebreaker, Azarenka rushed out to a 4-0 lead only to find herself tied at 5-all after a Stosur smash brought the crowd to its feet once again. But two points later, after a delicately feathered Azarenka drop shot and a heated baseline rally that went the way of the World No. 1, Azarenka had once again proved that she was superior to Sam Stosur.

The difference between them, however, is not nearly what it used to be.

Azarenka managed to hold Stosur to two games or less in nine of their first thirteen head-to-head sets, but after the final two sets today, it appears that Stosur is finally figuring Azarenka’s game out.

"Well, I mean, of course there's always going to be disappointment when you lose, you know, quarter of the US Open, but I have to say I'm really pleased with the way I played," Stosur told reporters after the match. "Oh, for sure. I mean, she's a tough player, but, you know, I think I'm capable of beating her one day. Just would have liked it to have been today."

With the victory, Azarenka is guaranteed to finish the US Open as the World No. 1. She’ll play the winner of today’s quarterfinal between Maria Sharapova and Marion Bartoli which is currently being delayed by rain.

(Photo Credit: AFP/Patrick Kovarik)