Associated Press DOHA, Qatar — When top-ranked Victoria Azarenka thinks about her newfound success, she might want to thank Daniela Hantuchova. ADVERTISING She lost to Hantuchova in the first round at the Qatar Open a year ago, causing a crisis
Associated Press
DOHA, Qatar — When top-ranked Victoria Azarenka thinks about her newfound success, she might want to thank Daniela Hantuchova.
She lost to Hantuchova in the first round at the Qatar Open a year ago, causing a crisis of confidence in the 22-year-old Belarusian. She rushed home, ready to tell her family she wanted to quit the sport she had grown to despise.
“It was just not fun for me to do because I’m the type of player that plays with a lot of passion, a lot of desire,” Azarenka said.
“Every time I was stepping on the court, it was like a misery to me, so I just told my mom, I don’t want to play anymore because it’s not fun. She’s like, ‘You know what? I think maybe you’re tired, you’re burned out. Just come home and see what happens.'”
Rather than quitting, Azarenka took a brief break and it did her wonders.
She had her best season in 2011, winning 55 of 72 matches to finish the year at No. 3. She returned in 2012, winning the Australian Open and becoming No. 1. She won her 16th straight match Saturday, reaching the Qatar Open final with a victory over Agnieszka Radwanska.
Azarenka hobbled around the court with an ankle injury, adjusting her game and persevering to defeat Agenieszka Radwanska 6-2, 6-4.
Azarenka expects to be OK when she plays for the title today against Sam Stosur. The U.S. Open champion advanced from her semifinal after Marion Bartoli retired with a right calf injury after losing the first set 6-3.
“Before my fall I was really playing very good tennis, in control and was really putting a lot of pressure on her and the way I wanted to play today,” Azarenka said.
ABN AMRO: Top-seeded Roger Federer reached the ABN Amro World Tennis final with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Nikolay Davydenko.
Federer, playing in Rotterdam, Netherlands, for the first time since capturing the 2005 title, will play for the championship today against Juan Martin del Potro. The third-seeded Argentine downed second-seeded Tomas Berdych 6-3, 6-1 in the other semifinal.
SAN JOSE: Defending champion Milos Raonic ripped 20 aces to reach his second straight final in San Jose, Calif, beating Ryan Harrison 7-6 (4), 6-2.
Raonic will play Uzbekistan’s Denin Istomin — who upset Andy Roddick in the quarterfinals — on Sunday. Istomin beat Frenchman Julien Benneteau 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-3 to move into only his second ATP Tour final and first since 2010.
