She might be underestimated as the world number 1, but Victoria Azarenka showed just what she's made of at the 2012 London Olympics, winning two historic medals for her country, Belarus.
Crashed by Serena Williams in the singles semifinals, Azarenka regrouped to defeat her former doubles partner, Russian Maria Kirilenko, to claim the bronze. It's true that after her sensational start to the season, the Belorussian lost momentum, failing to collect another title, and thus being overshadowed by Sharapova's success at Roland Garros and Serena's phenomenal run at Wimbledon. Things didn't go that bad though. After a surprising defeat to Sharapova in the Stuttgart final, she succumbed to Serena in the Madrid final. The French title was hers for the taking, but the nerves and the pressure got the best of her and she lost in the fourth round to Dominika Cibulkova. After that she lost only to her nemesis Serena, both at Wimbledon and now at the Olympics, in both occasions unluckily running into the American in the semis.
To be honest, with Serena in such a devastating form, Azarenka did not really stand a chance to collect the individual gold medal. However, she fancied much better in the mixed doubles where she teamed up with Max Mirnyi. The Belorussian duo started as prime favorites, but had to withstand a strong assault, especially in the latter stages. After barely escaping Indian Sania Mirza and Leander Paes in the quarterfinals, they had to come back from a set down to defeat Americans Lisa Raymond and Mike Bryan in the semis.
Victoria and Max are not at their first appearance together. The two share a prestigious past, winning the 2007 US Open and the 2008 Roland Garros titles together. Although they did not team up much since, the magic was still here and the Belorussian denied a perfect ending for the British audience, overcoming Laura Robson and Andy Murray to claim the gold medal.
To be honest, with Serena in such a devastating form, Azarenka did not really stand a chance to collect the individual gold medal. However, she fancied much better in the mixed doubles where she teamed up with Max Mirnyi. The Belorussian duo started as prime favorites, but had to withstand a strong assault, especially in the latter stages. After barely escaping Indian Sania Mirza and Leander Paes in the quarterfinals, they had to come back from a set down to defeat Americans Lisa Raymond and Mike Bryan in the semis.
Victoria and Max are not at their first appearance together. The two share a prestigious past, winning the 2007 US Open and the 2008 Roland Garros titles together. Although they did not team up much since, the magic was still here and the Belorussian denied a perfect ending for the British audience, overcoming Laura Robson and Andy Murray to claim the gold medal.
With Serena completely demolishing Sharapova in the women's final, Azarenka is guaranteed to retain her number 1 rankings. So, independent on all the controversy, she is still the best player in the world. Next stop for her is the Canadian Open in Montreal, where she faces a really difficult draw.
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| Azarenka defeated Maria Kirilenko 6-3,6-4 to claim her first Olympic medal, joining silver medalist Maria Sharapova and champion Serena Williams on the Olympic podium. |
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| Azarenka achieved her Olympic goal, winning the gold medal in mixed doubles alongside partner Max Mirnyi. The Belorussians were joined on the podium by Britons Laura Robson and Andy Murray (silver) and Americans Lisa Raymond and Mike Bryan (bronze). |
photos: GETTY IMAGES
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