“Was a Little Bit Tough For Me”: Victoria Azarenka on Her Western & Southern Open Win

Former World No. 1 Victoria Azarenka defeats Ons Jabeur in straight sets of 7-6(9) 6-2 at the Cincinnati Masters. Azarenka will now face Johannah Konta in the semi-finals. After advancingfor the next round, she is confident than ever.

Azarenka is playing in a major tournament after 8 months. She spent the first half resting for injuries and the other half due to the world wide covid-19 pandemic. After the thrilling first set, splitting nine points, Victoria Azarenka aced through her second set with an early break to 2-0. After another break the former Grand Slam winner advanced and closed the game at 7-6(9), 6-2.

Victoria Azarenka Has Only Praise For Her Opponent

During a post match interview, Victoria Azarenka praised her opponent Ons Jabeur immensely. Jabeur is a trailblazer for tennis in Tunisia. She is the first Arab woman to reach the quarter finals of Grand Slam and the highest ranked Arab player in history.

“She’s very, very talented. I have obviously seen her play, but, you know, standing on the other side was different.” Azarenka continued, “So I definitely admire her talent, and it was surprising in a good way. I mean, in a bad way for me, but I’m saying it with a compliment.”

In the gruelling 1 hour 44 minutes fight, Azarenka felt the heat of the competition. she said, “The beginning was a little bit tough for me. I felt like I was getting bullets out of my behind for a few times, and then I kind of got into the ball. I was surprised but in a good way by her pace.”

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Talking about the first set, Azarenka believes the four set points made a huge difference in the longer run.

“I feel like in the closer moments I played well. Definitely the set points I saved pretty big in the first set, and the other ones I went for some balls. When there are tough moments, you either gotta go for it or you’re going to wait for a mistake.”

“In my case, I felt that I was going to try and go for my shots, and sometimes it doesn’t happen. So my reaction was to keep trying, keep trying, and then it’s going to work.”