All Good Things Come to an End

As nothing lasts forever in life, all good things must, sooner or later, come to an end. Azarenka was among the few fortunate ones for whom the end came rather late, a fact that catapulted her to the top of the women's tennis.

Her unbeaten start to the season was the hottest topic on the tour so far this year. The Belorussian has been in sensational form in 2012, winning four titles and getting to a 26-0 record until the Miami quarterfinals. It wasn't all just a walk in the park though, the best example coming the the last 16, when the defending champion had to dug herself out of a big rabbit hole. Showing fierce determination and immense mental strength, she took advantage of Dominika Cibulkova's meltdown when serving for the match to achieve one of the most spectacular comebacks of her career, coming back from a 6-1,4-0/5-2 deficit to defeat the inspired Slovak. Having passed that hurdle, she was expected to resume her cruise through the draw, but her next opponent had other plans. Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli has been playing some of her best tennis lately. Never one to back down and accept defeat, she showed no fears or restraints while she washed Azarenka off the court with winners from all sides and positions. She quickly rose to a 4-0 advantage and, opposed to the Slovak, she hung on strongly, closing out the encounter in straight sets. Although all credit goes to Marion for playing utterly well, we must acknowledge the fact that Victoria was nowhere near her best. Probably tired after the Cibulkova marathon, she looked jaded, a sign that all those victories must have taken their toll.

While Marion targets a first success over Agnieszka Radwanska in the semifinal clash, the Belorussian needs now to rebound quickly and ensure a great start to her clay-court campaign. The first few matches will be key, but some quick wins can bring back her confidence, restoring her invincibility halo atop of the women's game.

Marion Bartoli showed just why she is one of the most dangerous players on the tour, becoming the first to defeat Azarenka this season, ending her 26 winning streak with a 6-3,6-3 victory in the quarterfinals in Miami.

photos: GETTY IMAGES

The Blonde or the Brunette? - Part 2

 

A few months ago, in the first episode of the Blonde vs the Brunette battle, blonde Daniela Hantuchova came back from a set down to reach the final of the Birmingham grass-court event. The fortnight of Miami though gave brunette Ana Ivanovic a shoot at revenge. And she took full advantage of it, cruising through a 6-2,7-6 win to set things straight in this interesting rivalry. 

The funny aspect of such a battle consists in the similarities between the two players. On top of being tall, slim and long haired, they are both ambassadors of the AdiZero line, thus they wear the same outfits. The Serb actually referred to this in her post-match interview. "It's pretty funny - we were joking, at least one was blonde and one was brunette. It would be a problem if I played Sorana," Ivanovic said. "But seriously, it is a little bit strange. You look up and see yourself. It's like, 'Is that a mirror?'" I would say it's quite a mirror though, as there is enough to separate the Serb from anyone on the tour, but it must be an awkward situation to be in. 

photo: GETTY IMAGES

V from Vintage Venus

It feels like forever since we last saw a full-strength Venus Williams grace the tennis courts. Being sidelined since last year's US Open, the American took her time to recover from Sjögren's Syndrome, a rare autoimmune disease that caused her fatigue and dizziness. She finally felt ready to make a comeback at Miami, one of her favourite WTA stops, where she hopes to rekindle the kind of form that got her three crowns in the late 90s.

Considering the little match practice she had under her belt, the American looked utterly impressive in her first round clash with Japanese veteran Kimiko Date-Krumm, cruising through a commanding 6-0,6-3 win. Nevertheless, her chances before the highly anticipated encounter with reigning Wimbledon champion were rather low. At number 134 in the world and a bit rusty after the lengthy lay-off, Venus seemed an easy target for the powerful Czech. However, as she did so many times in her career, she proved once again that she is not one to be easily written off. Relying on some heavy groundstrokes, she broke Kvitova in the 10th game and, back up by her huge serve, she took the first set 6-4. The Czech responded with an equally impressive service display and, after trading breaks in the beginning of the second act, she broke decisively at 3-2 to level the match. A few tight games lost in the beginning of the decider though were enough to completely derail Petra's game. She started a never-ending streak of unforced error that played right into her opponent's favour. The experienced Venus took full advantage of the situation reeling six consecutive games to take an emphatic 6-4,4-6,6-0 victory.

While the American will continue her successful return to tennis with a third round meeting with Canadian Aleksandra Wozniack, Kvitova is left to deal with yet another setback in her attempt to claim the number 1 spot from the invincible Azarenka.

Venus notched her 600th career win, stunning the world number 3, Petra Kvitova, 6-4,4-6,6-0 in the second round at Miami.

photos: GETTY IMAGES