- Published: 26 Jan 2013 at 18.26
- Online news: Sports
MELBOURNE - Victoria Azarenka has
won back-to-back Australian Open titles, beating Li Na 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 in a
dramatic final that contained a break for fireworks and two medical timeouts.
MELBOURNE - Victoria Azarenka
overcome an often hostile crowd to win back-to-back Australian Open titles,
beating Li Na 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 in a dramatic final that contained a break for
fireworks, two medical timeouts and a nasty fall to the court by Li.
The Chinese star first tumbled to
the court after twisting her left ankle, and had it taped after falling in the
fifth game of the second set.
On the first point after a 10-minute
pause in the third set while fireworks boomed overhead from nearby Australia
Day celebrations, Li fell over again and slammed the back of her head into the
court. The 2011 French Open champion was treated immediately and had another
time out before being allowed to resume the match.
Victoria Azarenka returns a shot
during her three-set victory over Li Na in Melbourne on Saturday. (AFP Photo)
Azarenka, who broke down in tears
and sobbed into her towel when the match ended, won five of the next six games
to claim her second major title and retain the No. 1 ranking.
"Unfortunately, you have to go
through some rough patches to achieve great things. That's what makes it so
special for me," she said. "I went through that, and I'm still able
to kiss that beautiful trophy."
Li had defeated Azarenka when the
pair last met in a holiday exhibition match in Hua Hin, Thailand on Dec 30.
The two previous winners of the Hua
Hin event, Azarenka in 2011 and Kim Clijsters in 2010, had gone on to win the
title in Melbourne a month later.
The win meant that Azarenka will
maintain top spot and Serena Williams, who lost in the quarterfinals, will
become the new No. 2 in the rankings.
On a crisp Saturday night, Azarenka
won the coin toss and elected to receive, a ploy that seemed to work when a
nervous Li was broken to start the match. After a double fault on the first
point, Li's forehand long gave Azarenka the early lead.
The 2-hour, 40-minute match featured
16 service breaks, with Li losing her service nine times.
The capacity crowd at Rod Laver
Arena was firmly behind Li, cheering loudly when she was introduced. Azarenka,
meanwhile, had her errors applauded, and one spectator even mocked the loud
hooting sound she makes when she hits a shot.
The chill from the crowd was a
remnant of Azarenka's semifinal win over American teenager Sloane Stephens,
when Azeranka was criticized for taking a questionable 10-minute medical time
out near the end of the match. She was accused of taking the time out to
compose herself after she'd wasted five match points while serving for the
match against Stephens, although Azarenka said she needed the time out because
a rib injury was making it difficult for her to breathe.
In the second set Saturday, a few
fans heckled Azarenka over the incident. One man yelled, "Take a deep
breath, Vicky."
By the end of the match, she
appeared to have won some of the fans back. Azarenka's friend, rapper Redfoo,
yelled down to her from the player box "You deserve it," and she
later blew kisses to the crowd. Someone else in the crowd shouted
"Victoria, we love you."
Azarekna appeared to quickly forgive
the crowd, saying during the trophy presentations that she wanted to thank the
fans for their support.
"I will always keep very
special memories of this court and it will be in my heart forever," she
said, pausing several times to find the right words. "Of course, I
(almost) forgot to say congratulations to Li Na, she's had a terrific start to
the year ... hope to see you in many, many more finals."
Azarenka and Li had met twice before
in Grand Slam tournaments, with Li winning both times — in the fourth round of
the 2011 Australian Open and quarterfinals at the French Open. Li lost the 2011
Australian Open final to Kim Clijsters but won her first Grand Slam title at
Roland Garros a few months later, beating Francesca Schiavone.
But after failing to advance past
the fourth round at any major in 2012, Li hired Carlos Rodriguez, Justine
Henin's former coach. The hard training he's put her through in the past four
months appears to be paying dividends.
Li won a WTA tournament in China
before travelling to Australia, where she advanced to the semifinals at the
Sydney International.
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