By Nick Georgandis
TennisNow.com
Photo Credit: Tony Chang
Victoria Azarenka finally stopped the charge of the red-hot Julia Goerges on Saturday in Madrid, taking a 6-4, 6-2 victory over the German to advance to Sunday’s Mutua Madrid Open final with 1,000 points on the line.
Azarenka guaranteed herself moving up to a career-best No. 4 in the world with the victory. It will be the highest a player from Belarus has ever been ranked.
The tournament’s fourth seed took out the unseeded Goerges in 77 minutes, breaking her opponent three times and saving her own only break point. First serves were another highlight for Azarenka on the day – she converted 78% of hers (25 of 32) and scored on 44% of Goerges (16 of 36).
It will be Azarenka’s third final of the year, having already emerged victorious at both Miami and Marbella.
The Belarusian who doesn’t turn 22 until after Wimbledon is now 24-6 on the season, and avenges her second-round Stuttgart loss to Goerges in which she was forced to retire because of injury after winning the first set 6-4.
That retirement interrupted Azarenka’s own 11-match win streak. Since the beginning of Indian Wells, she has compiled a record of 18-2.