Australian Open Day 2 women’s wrap: Victoria Azarenka breaks down after shock loss
WOMEN’S WRAP: A heartbroken Victoria Azarenka has laid bare the personal struggles that have taken a toll on her tennis career.
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AUSSIE WRAP: Injury, emotion, upsets
A heartbroken Victoria Azarenka has laid bare the personal struggles that have taken a toll on her tennis career.
The Belarusian broke down after a shock first-round defeat to German Laura Siegemund.
A host of injuries as well as a difficult custody battle, which saw her unable to leave the United States, has weighed on the former world No.1.
“I’ve been through a lot of things in my life and sometimes I wonder why I go through them,” she said through tears.
“But I think they’re going to make me stronger and I’m going to work hard for it.
“Sometimes I just need a little time and patience and a little support.”
A two-time Australian Open champion, Azarenka is still working her way back up the world rankings after nearly three years out of the tour.
She’s finding it more difficult than expected to recapture her best form under match conditions.
“I have improved, I’m just really struggling to do it in the matches. It’s just not coming together,” she said. “It’s really disappointing.
“I need to continue to work hard to try and find a solution but I’m struggling right now to do that.
“It’s not easy to sit here and be positive but I don’t have another choice. I worked hard and I was prepared well but sitting here is disappointing but you’ve got to keep going.
“It’s not going to stop me, after today. No matter how much it hurts, I have to learn from it. I’ve never really learned how to struggle before so maybe it’s a lesson but it’s disappointing.”
Azarenka, 29, has vowed to get back to the top.
“I’m going to play as much as I can to try and build something because my ambitions are high, I know what I’m capable of but I need to start to execute and take it step by step,” she said.
“Knowing what I’m capable of, I put myself really high and I have to be a little bit realistic and work hard to keep playing, I have to find the solutions and continue to try and find a way.
“It’s a shitty beginning of the season for me but it’s not the end of the year.”
- Kate Salemme
HALEP FACES TOUGH RUN
THE women’s No.1 seed Simona Halep will not have been pleased to have been pitted against Kaia Kanepi in round one after the Estonian blew her away at the same stage of last year’s US Open in straight sets.
And she must have feared the worst when the battle hardened Kanepi toughed out the first set on a tie-break but Halep, who made friends aplenty here with a courageous run to last year’s Australian Open final despite a debilitating ankle injury that left her finding it difficult to stand at times.
A calamitous last four months of 2018 meant that Halep has not won a match since last August, coming to Australia with little preparation but dug in to out fox Kanepi for a deserved win.
Despite parting company with long standing coach Darren Cahill last November, she feels a strong affiliation to Australia she said.
“I am half Australian because I had an (Australian) coach for four years,” she said. “Darren, thank you for these amazing years.”
Meanwhile, current US Open champion Naomi Osaka had little difficulty despatching Poland’s Magda Linette, a player who beat her just weeks before her inaugural grand slam last August. Osaka, the No.4 seed, looked confident throughout in what turned out to be a routine first round win.
Asked for her observations on Australian culture post match she posited that Australians are friendly and “it’s really hot and I like to sweat…”.
- Richard Evans
WILLIAMS STAYS AWAY FROM US OPEN QUESTIONS
Serena Williams refuses to buy into the on-court coaching debate after a triumphant return to grand slam competition.
Keen to distance herself from memories of last season’s tumultuous US Open final against Naomi Osaka, Williams is determined not to let lingering controversy derail her bid for Melbourne Park history.
Asked if she agreed with her coach Patrick Mouratoglou’s call for coaching to be legalised at the majors, Williams said: “I, like, literally have no comment.”
The American was infamously censured during US Open final defeat to Naomi Osaka in September when Mouratoglou was caught gesturing.
The American’s subsequent clash with umpire Carlos Ramos, culminating in Williams’ calling the official a “thief”, overshadowed Osaka’s most important triumph.
On-court coaching is allowed at WTA level and in grand slam qualifying, but not in major main draw competition.
Due to face Canadian Eugenie Bouchard in the second round, Williams was the epitome of decorum while demolishing neighbour and fellow mother Tatjana Maria.
Wearing a green “Serena-tard”, the seven-time Melbourne Park champion whipped the German in 49 minutes, edging closer to Margaret Court’s grand slam record haul of 24 singles majors.
On Rod Laver Arena in a match situation for the first time since beating sister Venus in the 2017 final, Williams allowed world No 73 Maria just five points in the first set.
Williams, 37, was left with mixed feelings following the rout because of her friendship with Maria as the German left the court in tears.
“We are neighbours and we go to each other’s houses and our daughters play together,” Williams said.
“Her daughter (Charlotte) is older than mine (Alexis Olympia).
“At Wimbledon she was helping mine out, it was the cutest thing in the world.
“Us mums need to come out and play and do well, I wish we could have played later on.”
Williams reflected on her 2017 triumph, her last major success before starting a family.
“The last time I was here I was pregnant and playing at the same time which is insane,” she said.
“It’s weird walking back on — by myself this time — it feels good.
I have so many memories from last time I was here.
“She can be incredibly tricky especially against my game style. I’m glad I came out and did what I did.”
Bouchard advanced to a second round meeting with Williams with a 6-2, 6-1 win over wildcard entry Peng Shuai.
Peng saved one match point on her serve but a backhand wide gave the Canadian another, and Bouchard clinched the 59-minute match with a forehand to the open court.
The 2014 Wimbledon finalist’s ranking dropped from a career-high of five to a current 79 to start 2019 after a series of injuries and poor form.
Bouchard, who also made the Australian Open and French Open semi-finals in a breakthrough 2014, will be severely tested in her second-round match Thursday when she plays 23-time Grand Slam singles champion Williams.
Meanwhile, Karolina Pliskova has continued her unbeaten start to 2019 with a commanding first-round Australian Open win at Melbourne Park.
The seventh seed had too many guns for fellow Czech Karolina Muchova, ending the qualifier’s run in 69 minutes with a 6-3 6-2 victory on Tuesday.
Pliskova pulled out of last week’s Sydney International after winning her season-opening event in Brisbane and reaped the rewards with a polished start to her Open campaign.
In addition to five aces, Pliskova clubbed 21 winners to book a meeting on Thursday with either American Madison Brengle or Japanese qualifier Misaki Doi.
“I was hitting great even in the warm up. I think it’s a good start,” said the 2016 US Open runner-up and former Melbourne Park junior girls’ champion after claiming her sixth win of the year in Australia.
“I feel happy here. I don’t know why. I always love playing here.”
Another former Flushing Meadows finalist also progressed on Tuesday, with American 17th seed Madison Keys taking out young Australian wildcard Destanee Aiava 6-2 6-2 on Rod Laver Arena.
It was Keys’ first match of 2019.
“I was having issues with my knee towards the end of last year and I ran out of time (to play any lead-up tournaments),” she said.
“Mostly I’m just happy that I did most things pretty well.” Keys will play either Frenchwoman Pauline Parmentier or Russian Anastasia Potapova for a place in the third round.
Elsehwere, big-serving sixth seed Elina Svitolina blasted into the Australian Open second round with a 6-1, 6-2 win over qualifier Viktorija Golubic on Tuesday.
Svitolina, who scored the biggest win of her career in clinching the WTA Tour Finals in Singapore in October, fired down nine aces to power past her Swiss opponent in just over an hour.
The Ukrainian was a quarter-finalist at Melbourne Park last year. But a Grand Slam breakthrough has so far proved elusive.
She is in the same side of the draw as US Open winner Naomi Osaka, and could meet her in the quarter-finals.
Svitolina next meets Viktoria Kuzmova of Slovakia.
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Originally published as Australian Open Day 2 women’s wrap: Victoria Azarenka breaks down after shock loss
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