F59F2808-BFC0-4F61-A78F-74D294443DA9
By Alberto Amalfi
© Tony Chang/Chang Photography
(August 1, 2010) Acoustics at the Taube Family Tennis Center amplified the intensity between two of tennis top screamers. Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sharapova traded screaming shots and screeching shrieks for one set.
Then Azarenka pressed the mute button.
Azarenka celebrated her 21st birthday yesterday and today silenced Sharapova in winning eight of the last nine games to capture the Bank of the West Classic championship with a 6-4, 6-1 triumph at Stanford.
It was the fourth career title for the 18th-ranked Belarusian, who is expected to rise to No. 12 when the new WTA Tour rankings are released on Monday.
Punctuating nearly every swing of her Head racquet with an extended shriek, Azarenka was momentarily at a loss for sound after wrapping up the one hour, 27 minute win before remembering she had some unfinished business to attend.
"It's great. I can go eat my (birthday) cake now," a smiling Azarenka said. "It just brings me so much confidence and passion especially before the US Open, one of my favorite tournaments. I'm really glad I'm picking up my form and getting in great shape."
Contesting her second final in her last three tournaments, Azarenka, who was runner-up to Ekaterina Makarova in Eastbourne last month, got better as the matches got bigger at Stanford.
The eighth-seeded Azarenka beat defending champion Marion Bartoli, top-seeded Samantha Stosur, her fourth win over the French Open finalist, and Sharapova to cap a week that saw her win her first title since she beat Svetlana Kuznetsova and Serena Williams to capture the 2009 Sony Ericsson Open on Key Biscayne.
"Maria is a great player," said Azarenka, who evened her career record with Sahrapova at 2-2. "I really had to dig my way in running a lot. She was playing really good in the begining. She was applying pressure right from the return. I'm just glad I kept fighting and playing point by point and it worked for me."
The 15th-ranked Sharapova, who is projected to rise to No. 13 with today's final result when the new WTA Tour rankings are released on Monday, appears intent on returning to the top 10 before the US Open starts on August 30th.
Sharapova looked physically fatigued and emotionally deflated in the 29-minute second set. The former World No. 1 was playing beneath the bright sun following night victories over Elena Dementieva in a two hour, 47-minute quarterfinal and in a two-hour semifinal comeback win over Agnieszka Radwanska.
"I wish I played a couple more day matches, just to get a feel for a different atmosphere," Sharapova said. "It was a bit up and down in the beginning. I was always on the defensive, and when I tried to get the ball rolling it was too late."
Sharapova, who will skip San Diego next week to prepare for the Rogers Cup, began to play closer to the lines in an effort to shorten the points at the start of the second set.
Squandering a 30-love lead, Sharapova splattered a double fault deep and missed a backhand to drop serve in a four-error first game of the second set.
Azarenka kept up the pressure in consolidating for 2-0.
The situation demanded Sharapova step up at that point and she did slamming through a love hold for 1-2, but it would be the last game she would win.
Stinging successive backhand passes, Sharapova seized break point. Azarenka saved it with a 94 mph slider, then saved a second break point with a serve into the body and held for 3-1 when Sharapova looped a running forehand long.
In one of the most physically-demanding rallies of the match, Azarenka continued to crack down the line drives Sharapova fended off before the Belarusian stepped into the court and smacked an overhead winner for triple break point.
Unleashing a play she used throughout the final, Azarenka drilled a return at Sharapova's ankles that the 6' 2" Russian could not control. Azarenka had the break and a 4-1 lead, leaving the normally ferocious Sharapova looking defeated.
Extending her advantage emphatically, Azarenka held at love and was four points from the championship.
Stylistically, Azarenka and Sharapova are from the same school of grip and rip tennis with both women comfortable stalking the baseline and blasting fast, flat shots. Both possess imposing returners that left each other skittish on serve at the outset.
Sharapova belted a backhand long then double faulted to drop serve and fall behind 2-3, but immediatley broke back for 3-all.
Squinting against the high sun, Sharapova navigated through a tough seventh game to
hold for 4-3. It was just the third service hold in the first seven games.
In the ninth game, a stretched-out Sharapova could not control a forehand and dropped serve to fall behind 4-5.
Azarenka dug out of a 15-30 hole and earned set point as Sharapova made successive backhand errors. Swooping forward, Sharapova spun a running angled forehand winner — a
tough shot to control while running toward net near the service line. Azarenka earned a second set point when Sharapova netted a return, but double faulted deep.
On the fourth set point, Azarenka knelt low to absorb the power of a Sharapova return
blast then hung tough in a forehand to forehand exchange. With shots and grunts growing louder, Sharapova sprayed a backhand down the line wide as Azarenka took the
first set in 58 minutes.