Has Invincible Vika Gone Astray?

Not sure if it's only me, but I feel that Azarenka has lost some of the huge momentum she had last year, or even at the start of this new season. Back then there were times when she looked invincible, like she would go on and win each and every tournament she enters. The only potential, though big threat would come from Serena Williams, her nemesis, bur other than that Vika really was untouchable. In the last couple of months though I feel like she has forgotten how to win championships. It's true that she barely played due to "injuries," but still she has accumulated a few surprising defeats to players she should normally beat. She lost twice to Sharapova (i.e. WTA Masters and Roland Garros), to Ekaterina Makarova in Rome, and now to Samantha Stosur in Carlsbad.

Having won all eight meetings with Stosur, the Belorussian was expected to crush the Australian in the California final. However, drawing confidence from their last two encounters, when she managed to push the battle into the decider, a determined Sam refused to give in this time. She was in control from start to finish, refusing Vika's every chance of getting back into the match. Her biggest weapon was the serve, which she fully utilized to save 11 of the 12 break points she faced. Throughout the final, Vika looked fragile, vulnerable, and in desperate need of a miraculous turnaround to match her opponent's superb display. While Sam was kicking aces and strong first serves and was being aggressive coming to the net or finding the lines with her big forehand, the former world No.1 struggled in vain to produce anything similar. Stosur remained focus and eventually served out a commanding 6-2,6-3 victory to win her first title since the 2011 US Open.

Did Vika lost her way, or was she just having a bad day on Sunday? I was hoping to find the answer this week when she was scheduled to play in Toronto, but guess what, she withdrew last minute citing a lower bad injury. Again the so-called injuries?! It is very hard to tell with Azarenka. In the spring, she had a really good chance of regaining the No.1 ranking provided she played more. However, she kept pulling out due to different minor health issues. Then came the nasty fall at Wimbledon, but even then I felt she could have pushed it a few more rounds, just to better evaluate the damage. Anyway, she just made her comeback, played a solid tournament and now she is injured again?! This sounds fishy, especially as she looked unbothered during the final. I am a huge Azarenka fan, but I would just like to see her play more. She really needs it if she wants to challenge Serena for the year-end No.1. Go Vika, #letswintheUSOpen!

Making her return since the nasty knee injury she sustained at Wimbledon, Vika was no match to Australian Samantha Stosur in the Carlsbad final. Although she has won all previous eight encounters with Sam, this time she had to admit defeat, losing 2-6,3-6.

photos: GETTY IMAGES