2013 Victoria Azarenka tennis season

Victoria Azarenka - Roland-Garros 2013 - 005.jpg Victoria Azarenka at the 2013 French Open. Victoria Azarenka 44–8 (84.61%) 3 No. 2 No. 2 1 W SF 2R F Ankle (March–April) Knee (June) Victoria Azarenka The 2013 Victoria Azarenka tennis season officially began at the 2013 Brisbane International, the first of two simultaneous events which opened the official 2013 season, and concluded with her fifth consecutive qualification for the 2013 WTA Tour Championships. Yearly summary Australian Open series Azarenka began her 2013 season as the top seed at the 2013 Brisbane International, her first participation at the event since winning in 2009. She defeated German Sabine Lisicki in the second round after receiving a bye in the first round.Azarenka starts 2013 in style – ABC Grandstand Sport – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) This was followed up with a crushing two set victory over Ksenia Pervak in the quarter-finals, to maintain her record of not dropping a set in the tournament thus far.Azarenka cruises into semis in Brisbane – ABC Grandstand Sport – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) Azarenka was later forced to withdraw from her scheduled semi-final against Serena Williams due to a toe injury.Azarenka scratched from Brisbane International – ABC Grandstand Sport – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) Her next tournament was the defence of her Australian Open title. Azarenka won her first six matches dropping only one set en route (against Jamie Hampton in the third round), to reach the final for the second consecutive year, where she faced Li Na of China.Azarenka plays through injuries to reach final – ABC Grandstand Sport – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) Azarenka was able to successfully defend her title with a three set victory in the final; thus, she became the first woman since Serena Williams in 2009–10 to successfully defend her Australian Open title.Azarenka defends Australian Open title – ABC Grandstand Sport – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) With the victory, she also became only the fifth active player (after Serena and Venus Williams, Maria Sharapova and Svetlana Kuznetsova) to hold two or more Grand Slam singles titles.Victoria Azarenka promises to learn from Australian Open victory | Sport | The Guardian Middle East series As the defending champion in Qatar, Azarenka once again reached the championship match, where she met Serena Williams, who replaced her as World No. 1 upon reaching the semi-finals (Williams did not play in Doha last year).Battling Serena becomes oldest world number one – ABC Grandstand Sport – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) After receiving a bye in the first round, she defeated Romina Oprandi, Christina McHale (without losing a game), Sara Errani and Agnieszka Radwańska to set up the final meeting against Williams. Azarenka scored just her second career victory over Williams, winning in the championship match in three sets and successfully defending her title.Azarenka topples Serena to win in Doha – ABC Grandstand Sport – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) Azarenka missed the Dubai Tennis Championships for the second year in a row, withdrawing from the tournament due to a foot injury she sustained in Doha.WTA Fans: Azarenka withdraws from Dubai American hard court season Azarenka's first tournament of the American hard court season was the defense of her Indian Wells title. As the top seed in the absence of Serena Williams, Azarenka got a first round bye, following which she defeated Daniela Hantuchová, Kirsten Flipkens (in three sets) and Urszula Radwańska, before withdrawing from the tournament prior to her quarter-final match against eventual runner-up Caroline Wozniacki due to an ankle injury. Her failure to defend her points saw her world ranking drop to No. 3 at the end of this tournament. The ankle injury she suffered at Indian Wells forced her out of the Miami tournament the following week. Clay court season Azarenka decided to skip the Stuttgart event, to allow for recovery from her ankle injury. Her next tournament was the Mutua Madrid Open, where she was a finalist last year. She defeated recent Portugal Open champion Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in two tiebreak sets, in her first match since Indian Wells, before being upset in the second round by World No. 24 Ekaterina Makarova in three sets;Azarenka loses temper and match in Madrid Open, Nadal defends well to reach 3rd roundSeptember 2016 InternetArchiveBot yes thus losing her first match this season after eighteen matches undefeated. Her next tournament was Rome. After receiving a first round bye, she defeated Julia Görges, Ayumi Morita (who retired in the second set), Samantha StosurStosur, Djokovic crash out of Rome Masters – ABC Grandstand Sport – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) and Sara ErraniAzarenka sets up Williams final in Rome – ABC Grandstand Sport – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) to reach the final, where she was defeated by Serena Williams in straight sets.Nadal, Serena triumph in Rome – ABC Grandstand Sport – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) Azarenka's next tournament was the French Open. She defeated Elena Vesnina, Annika Beck, Alizé Cornet, 2010 champion Francesca Schiavone and former doubles partner Maria Kirilenko to reach her first French Open semi-final, however, she was defeated there by 2012 champion Maria Sharapova in three sets. Grass court season In the first round of the 2013 Wimbledon Championships she defeated Maria João Koehler in straight sets, but suffered a knee injury early in the second set. This injury ultimately forced her to withdraw from the Championships before her second round match against Flavia Pennetta.https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/23067270 Victoria Azarenka pulls out through injury BBC Sport 26 June 2013 26 June 2013 Her withdrawal was among seven big-name casualties on the tournament's third day, which has also led to questions being raised about the surface of the grass.Azarenka goes on attack after seven forced out of Wimbledon with injury, CNN.com Her withdrawal also ended a streak of four consecutive Grand Slam semi-finals. US Open series thumb|right|250px|Victoria Azarenka at the 2013 Southern California Open, where she reached the final. Following her injury-enforced early exit from Wimbledon, Azarenka returned to action at the 2013 Southern California Open, where she was the top seed. After receiving a first round bye, she defeated Francesca Schiavone, Urszula Radwańska and Ana Ivanovic (the latter in three sets) before losing to Samantha Stosur in straight sets in the championship match. The loss to Stosur marked her first loss against her, after previously winning their first eight encounters.Sam Stosur breaks through to win the WTA Southern Californian Open from Victoria Azarenka, ABC Grandstand Sport (Australian Broadcasting Corporation), 5 August 2013 Azarenka was later forced to withdraw from the Rogers Cup due to a back injury she suffered in the championship match in Carlsbad.Victoria Azarenka Withdraws From Toronto Tennis With Back Injury, Bloomberg, 5 August 2013 Seeded second at Cincinnati, Azarenka received a first round bye, following which she won her first match at the tournament since 2009, when she defeated local hope Vania King in the second round. That was then followed by wins over Magdaléna Rybáriková, Caroline Wozniacki (her first victory against her since 2009) and Jelena Janković, en route to reaching her fifth final of the year, where she defeated Serena Williams in a thrilling championship match to pick up her third title for the year.Victoria Azarenka wins thrilling Cincinnati final against Serena Williams, ABC Grandstand Sport (Australian Broadcasting Corporation), 19 August 2013 At the US Open, where Azarenka was seeded second, she successfully reached the final for the second consecutive year, only dropping two sets en route. However, she lost in the final to Serena Williams in three sets.Serena Williams wins US Open final with three-set triumph over Victoria Azarenka, ABC Grandstand Sport (Australian Broadcasting Corporation), 9 September 2013 She was the only player to win a set against Williams over the last two years. Asian hard court season Following the US Open, Azarenka began her Asian swing at the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, where she was the top seed. However, after receiving a first round bye, she lost in the second round to former number one and seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams in straight sets.Venus Williams, Samantha Stosur through to last 16 at Pan Pacific Open, ABC Grandstand Sport (Australian Broadcasting Corporation), 25 September 2013 Azarenka's next tournament was the China Open, where she was the defending champion. She lost in the first round to Andrea Petkovic in three sets, delivering 15 double faults and committing 44 unforced errors in the process.Victoria Azarenka knocked out of China Open in first round by Germany's Andrea Petkovic, ABC Grandstand Sport (Australian Broadcasting Corporation), 1 October 2013 WTA Tour Championships Following Azarenka's run to the US Open final, she qualified for the WTA Tour Championships for the fifth consecutive year. She was placed in the White Group along with Li Na, Sara Errani and Jelena Janković. She started off with a tight straight-sets victory over Errani, but then fell to Janković and Li in her remaining matches, thus failing to reach the semi-finals for the first time since 2010 and spelling an end to her season.Li Na defeats Victoria Azarenka to qualify for WTA Championships semi-finals, ABC Grandstand Sport (Australian Broadcasting Corporation), 26 October 2013 The defeat to Li marked Azarenka's fifth loss in her past six matches, thus making for a poor end to her 2013 season. She ended the year ranked world number two, behind Serena Williams. All matches Singles matches Tournament Match Round Opponent/Ranking Result Score Brisbane InternationalBrisbane, AustraliaWTA PremierHard, outdoor31 December 2012 – 6 January 2013 1R Bye 1 2R GER Sabine Lisicki / #37 Win 6–3, 6–3 2 QF KAZ Ksenia Pervak / #103 Win 6–1, 6–0 SF USA Serena Williams / #3 Withdrew N/A Australian OpenMelbourne, AustraliaGrand SlamHard, outdoor14–27 January 2013 3 1R ROU Monica Niculescu / #58 Win 6–1, 6–4 4 2R GRE Eleni Daniilidou / #94 Win 6–1, 6–0 5 3R USA Jamie Hampton / #63 Win 6–4, 4–6, 6–2 6 4R RUS Elena Vesnina / #47 Win 6–1, 6–1 7 QF RUS Svetlana Kuznetsova / #75 Win 7–5, 6–1 8 SF USA Sloane Stephens / #25 Win 6–1, 6–4 9 W CHN Li Na / #6 Win (1) 4–6, 6–4, 6–3 Qatar Ladies OpenDoha, QatarWTA Premier 5Hard, outdoor11–17 February 2013 1R Bye 10 2R SUI Romina Oprandi / #62 Win 6–2, 6–3 11 3R USA Christina McHale / #44 Win 6–0, 6–0 12 QF ITA Sara Errani / #7 Win 6–2, 6–2 13 SF POL Agnieszka Radwańska / #4 Win 6–3, 6–3 14 W USA Serena Williams / #2 Win (2) 7–6(8–6), 2–6, 6–3 Dubai Tennis ChampionshipsDubai, United Arab EmiratesWTA PremierHard, outdoor18–24 February 2012 Withdrew Indian WellsIndian Wells, United States of AmericaWTA Premier MandatoryHard, outdoor4–17 March 2012 1R Bye 15 2R SVK Daniela Hantuchová / #73 Win 6–4, 6–1 16 3R BEL Kirsten Flipkens / #31 Win 3–6, 6–3, 6–0 17 4R POL Urszula Radwańska / #37 Win 6–3, 6–1 QF DEN Caroline Wozniacki / #10 Withdrewhttp://sports.ndtv.com/tennis/news/item/204926-indian-wells-azarenka-stosur-pull-out-due-to-injuries Indian Wells: Azarenka, Stosur pull out due to injuries Tennis – News NDTVSports.com 2013-03-15 https://web.archive.org/web/20130315120128/http://sports.ndtv.com/tennis/news/item/204926-indian-wells-azarenka-stosur-pull-out-due-to-injuries 2013-03-15 dead N/A Sony OpenMiami, United States of AmericaWTA Premier MandatoryHard, outdoor18–31 March 2012 WithdrewAzarenka withdraws at Sony with ankle injury – Yahoo! Sports https://web.archive.org/web/20130325092549/http://sports.yahoo.com/news/azarenka-withdraws-sony-ankle-injury-154441856--ten.html March 25, 2013 Mutua Madrid OpenMadrid, SpainWTA Premier MandatoryClay, outdoor4–12 May 2013 18 1R RUS Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova / #19 Win 7–6(10–8), 7–6(7–3) 19 2R RUS Ekaterina Makarova / #24 Loss 6–1, 2–6, 3–6 Internazionali BNL d'ItaliaRome, ItalyWTA Premier 5Clay, outdoor13–19 May 2013 1R Bye 20 2R GER Julia Görges / #25 Win 6–2, 6–0 21 3R JPN Ayumi Morita / #43 Win 6–1, 2–0 ret. 22 QF AUS Samantha Stosur / #10 Win 6–4, 1–6, 6–4 23 SF ITA Sara Errani / #8 Win 6–0, 7–5 24 F USA Serena Williams / #1 Loss (1) 1–6, 3–6 French OpenParis, FranceGrand SlamClay, outdoor26–9 June 2013 25 1R RUS Elena Vesnina / #36 Win 6–1, 6–4 26 2R GER Annika Beck / #62 Win 6–4, 6–3 27 3R FRA Alizé Cornet / #27 Win 4–6, 6–3, 6–1 28 4R ITA Francesca Schiavone / #50 Win 6–3, 6–0 29 QF RUS Maria Kirilenko / #12 Win 7–6(7–3), 6–2 30 SF RUS Maria Sharapova / #2 Loss 1–6, 6–2, 4–6 The Championships, WimbledonLondon, Great BritainGrand SlamGrass, outdoor24 June–7 July 2013 31 1R POR Maria João Koehler / #107 Win 6–1, 6–2 2R ITA Flavia Pennetta / #158 Withdrew N/A Southern California OpenCarlsbad, United States of AmericaWTA PremierHard, outdoor28–3 August 2013 1R Bye 32 2R ITA Francesca Schiavone / #55 Win 6–2, 6–3 33 QF POL Urszula Radwańska / #39 Win 6–1, 6–2 34 SF SRB Ana Ivanovic / #17 Win 6–0, 4–6, 6–3 35 F AUS Samantha Stosur / #13 Loss (2) 3–6, 2–6 Rogers CupToronto, CanadaWTA Premier 5Hard, outdoor5–11 August 2013 Withdrew Western & Southern OpenCincinnati, United States of AmericaWTA Premier 5Hard, outdoor12–18 August 2013 1R Bye 36 2R USA Vania King / #117 Win 6–1, 7–6(8–6) 37 3R SVK Magdaléna Rybáriková / #33 Win 6–3, 6–4 38 QF DEN Caroline Wozniacki / #10 Win 6–3, 7–6(7–5) 39 SF SRB Jelena Janković / #15 Win 4–6, 6–2, 6–3 40 W USA Serena Williams / #1 Win (3) 2–6, 6–2, 7–6(8–6) US OpenNew York City, United States of AmericaGrand SlamGrass, outdoor26 August–9 September 2013 41 1R GER Dinah Pfizenmaier / #99 Win 6–0, 6–0 42 2R CAN Aleksandra Wozniak / #323 Win 6–3, 6–1 43 3R FRA Alizé Cornet / #28 Win 6–7(2–7), 6–3, 6–2 44 4R SRB Ana Ivanovic / #15 Win 4–6, 6–3, 6–4 45 QF SVK Daniela Hantuchová / #48 Win 6–2, 6–3 46 SF ITA Flavia Pennetta / #83 Win 6–4, 6–2 47 F USA Serena Williams / #1 Loss (3) 5–7, 7–6(8–6), 1–6 Toray Pan Pacific OpenTokyo, JapanWTA Premier 5Hard, outdoor23–28 September 2013 1R Bye 48 2R USA Venus Williams / #63 Loss 2–6, 4–6 China OpenBeijing, ChinaWTA Premier MandatoryHard, outdoor28 September–6 October 2013 49 1R GER Andrea Petkovic / #50 Loss 4–6, 6–2, 4–6 WTA Tour ChampionshipsIstanbul, TurkeyWTA Tour ChampionshipsHard, indoor22–27 October 2013 50 RR ITA Sara Errani / #6 Win 7–6(7–4), 6–2 51 RR SRB Jelena Janković / #8 Loss 4–6, 3–6 52 RR CHN Li Na / #5 Loss 2–6, 1–6 Tournament schedule Singles schedule Victoria Azarenka's 2013 singles tournament schedule is as follows: DateChampionshipLocationCategorySurfacePrev. resultPrev. pointsNew pointsOutcome 30 December 2012–6 January 2013 Brisbane International Brisbane (AUS) WTA Premier Hard DNP 0 200 Withdrew before semi-final match (against Serena Williams) 14 January 2013–27 January 2013 Australian Open Melbourne (AUS) Grand Slam Hard W 2000 2000 Won in the final against Li Na 11 February 2013–17 February 2013 Qatar Total Open Doha (QAT) WTA Premier 5 Hard W 900 900 Won in the final against Serena Williams 18 February 2013–23 February 2013 Dubai Tennis Championships Dubai (UAE) WTA Premier Hard DNP 0 0 Withdrew before her first match due to a foot injury 4 March 2013–17 March 2013 Indian Wells Indian Wells (USA) WTA Premier Mandatory Hard W 1000 250 Withdrew before quarter-final match (against Caroline Wozniacki) 18 March 2013–31 March 2013 Sony Ericsson Open Miami (USA) WTA Premier Mandatory Hard QF 250 0 Withdrew before her first match due to an ankle injury 6 May 2013–12 May 2013 Mutua Madrid Masters Madrid (ESP) WTA Premier Mandatory Clay F 700 60 Lost in the second round against Ekaterina Makarova 13 May 2013–19 May 2013 Internazionali BNL d'Italia Rome (ITA) WTA Premier 5 Clay 3R 160 700 Lost in the final against Serena Williams 26 May 2013–9 June 2013 French Open Paris (FRA) Grand Slam Clay 4R 280 900 Lost in the semi-finals against Maria Sharapova 23 June 2013–7 July 2013 Wimbledon London (GBR) Grand Slam Grass SF 900 100 Withdrew before second round match (against Flavia Pennetta) 28 July 2013–4 August 2013 Southern California Open Carlsbad (USA) WTA Premier Hard DNP 0 250 Lost in the final against Samantha Stosur 5 August 2013–11 August 2013 Rogers Cup Toronto (CAN) WTA Premier 5 Hard 2R 60 0 Withdrew before the tournament began due to a back injury 12 August 2013–18 August 2013 Western and Southern Open Cincinnati (USA) WTA Premier 5 Hard DNP 0 900 Won in the final against Serena Williams 26 August 2013–9 September 2013 US Open New York (USA) Grand Slam Hard F 1400 1400 Lost in the final against Serena Williams 23 September 2013–28 September 2013 Toray Pan Pacific Open Tokyo (JPN) WTA Premier 5 Hard QF 250 60 Lost in the second round against Venus Williams 28 September 2013–6 October 2013 China Open Beijing (CHN) WTA Premier Mandatory Hard W 1000 5 Lost in the first round against Andrea Petković 21 October 2013–27 October 2013 WTA Tour Championships Istanbul (TUR) WTA Tour Championships Hard (i) SF 530 400 Eliminated in round robin stage Yearly Records Head-to-head match-ups Bold indicates that the player was in the Top 10, italics denotes that the player was in the Top 20 (at the time of the match being played). This list is ordered by number of wins to number of losses in chronological order played. 22em ITA Sara Errani 3–0 FRA Alizé Cornet 2–0 SVK Daniela Hantuchová 2–0 SRB Ana Ivanovic 2–0 POL Urszula Radwańska 2–0 ITA Francesca Schiavone 2–0 RUS Elena Vesnina 2–0 USA Serena Williams 2–2 SRB Jelena Janković 1–1 CHN Li Na 1–1 GER Annika Beck 1–0 GRE Eleni Daniilidou 1–0 BEL Kirsten Flipkens 1–0 GER Julia Görges 1–0 USA Jamie Hampton 1–0 USA Vania King 1–0 RUS Maria Kirilenko 1–0 POR Maria João Koehler 1–0 RUS Svetlana Kuznetsova 1–0 GER Sabine Lisicki 1–0 USA Christina McHale 1–0 JPN Ayumi Morita 1–0 ROU Monica Niculescu 1–0 SUI Romina Oprandi 1–0 RUS Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 1–0 ITA Flavia Pennetta 1–0 KAZ Ksenia Pervak 1–0 GER Dinah Pfizenmaier 1–0 POL Agnieszka Radwańska 1–0 SVK Magdaléna Rybáriková 1–0 USA Sloane Stephens 1–0 DEN Caroline Wozniacki 1–0 CAN Aleksandra Wozniak 1–0 AUS Samantha Stosur 1–1 RUS Ekaterina Makarova 0–1 GER Andrea Petkovic 0–1 RUS Maria Sharapova 0–1 USA Venus Williams 0–1 Singles Singles: 6 (3–3) CategoryGrand Slam (1–1)WTA Tour Championships (0–0)WTA Premier Mandatory (0–0)WTA Premier 5 (2–1)WTA Premier (0–1)Titles by surfaceHard (3–2)Clay (0–1)Grass (0–0)Titles by conditionsOutdoors (3–3)Indoors (0–0) OutcomeNo.DateChampionshipSurfaceOpponent in the finalScore in the finalWinner1.January 26, 2013Australian Open, Melbourne, AustraliaHardCHN Li Na4–6, 6–4, 6–3Winner2.February 17, 2013Qatar Ladies Open, Doha, QatarHardUSA Serena Williams7–6(8–6), 2–6, 6–3Runner-up1.May 19, 2013Internazionali BNL d'Italia, Rome, ItalyClayUSA Serena Williams1–6, 3–6Runner-up2.August 4, 2013Southern Californian Open, Carlsbad, USAHardAUS Samantha Stosur3–6, 2–6Winner3.August 18, 2013Western & Southern Open, Cincinnati, USAHardUSA Serena Williams2–6, 6–2, 7–6(8–6)Runner-up3.September 8, 2013US Open, New York, USAHardUSA Serena Williams5–7, 7–6(8–6), 1–6 Earnings # Event Prize money Year-to-date 1 Brisbane International $46,487 $46,487 2 Australian Open $2,236,936 $2,283,423 3 Qatar Total Open $426,000 $2,709,423 4 Indian Wells $104,000 $2,813,423 5 Mutua Madrid Open $27,346 $2,840,769 6 Internazionali BNL d'Italia $226,385 $3,067,154 7 French Open $494,221 $3,561,375 8 Wimbledon $59,461 $3,620,836 9 Southern California Open $68,200 $3,689,036 10 Western & Southern Open $426,000 $4,150,036 11 US Open $1,550,000 $5,700,036 $5,700,036 Figures in United States dollars (USD) unless noted. Exhibition matches Victoria Azarenka took part in the annual BNP Paribas Showdown, where she faced Serena Williams in a rematch of their 2012 US Open final.Azarenka Looking Forward to BNP Paribas Showdown – Tennis Now Azarenka lost the exhibition match in straight sets.Garden party: Serena tops Azarenka in showdown At the end of the year Azarenka scored another victory on Williams, in an exhibition in Thailand. She won in straight sets. OutcomeNo.DateTournamentSurfaceOpponentScoreLost1.March 4, 2013BNP Paribas Showdown, Manhattan, New YorkHardUSA Serena Williams4–6, 3–6Won2.December 28, 2013Intercontinental Hotel, Hua HinHardUSA Serena Williams7–5, 6–3 See also 2013 Li Na tennis season 2013 Serena Williams tennis season 2013 WTA Tour References 30em September 2013 Theo's Little Bot Azarenka Azarenka Category:Victoria Azarenka tennis seasons Category:2013 in Belarusian sport Category:Tennis in Belarus