2013 Victoria Azarenka tennis season

The 2013 Victoria Azarenka tennis season officially began at the 2013 Brisbane International, the first of two simultaneous events which opened the official 2013 season, and concluded with her fifth consecutive qualification for the 2013 WTA Tour Championships.

2013 Victoria Azarenka tennis season
Victoria Azarenka at the 2013 French Open.
Full nameVictoria Azarenka
Country Belarus
Singles
Season record44–8 (84.61%)
Calendar titles3
Current rankingNo. 2
Year-end rankingNo. 2
Ranking change from previous year 1
Grand Slam & significant results
Australian OpenW
French OpenSF
Wimbledon2R
US OpenF
Injuries
InjuriesAnkle (March–April)[1]
Knee (June)

Yearly summary

Australian Open series

Azarenka began her 2013 season as the top seed at the 2013 Brisbane International, her first participation at the event since winning in 2009. She defeated German Sabine Lisicki in the second round after receiving a bye in the first round.[2] This was followed up with a crushing two set victory over Ksenia Pervak in the quarter-finals, to maintain her record of not dropping a set in the tournament thus far.[3] Azarenka was later forced to withdraw from her scheduled semi-final against Serena Williams due to a toe injury.[4]

Her next tournament was the defence of her Australian Open title. Azarenka won her first six matches dropping only one set en route (against Jamie Hampton in the third round), to reach the final for the second consecutive year, where she faced Li Na of China.[5] Azarenka was able to successfully defend her title with a three set victory in the final; thus, she became the first woman since Serena Williams in 2009–10 to successfully defend her Australian Open title.[6] With the victory, she also became only the fifth active player (after Serena and Venus Williams, Maria Sharapova and Svetlana Kuznetsova) to hold two or more Grand Slam singles titles.[7]

Middle East series

As the defending champion in Qatar, Azarenka once again reached the championship match, where she met Serena Williams, who replaced her as World No. 1 upon reaching the semi-finals (Williams did not play in Doha last year).[8] After receiving a bye in the first round, she defeated Romina Oprandi, Christina McHale (without losing a game), Sara Errani and Agnieszka Radwańska to set up the final meeting against Williams. Azarenka scored just her second career victory over Williams, winning in the championship match in three sets and successfully defending her title.[9]

Azarenka missed the Dubai Tennis Championships for the second year in a row, withdrawing from the tournament due to a foot injury she sustained in Doha.[10]

American hard court season

Azarenka's first tournament of the American hard court season was the defense of her Indian Wells title. As the top seed in the absence of Serena Williams, Azarenka got a first round bye, following which she defeated Daniela Hantuchová, Kirsten Flipkens (in three sets) and Urszula Radwańska, before withdrawing from the tournament prior to her quarter-final match against eventual runner-up Caroline Wozniacki due to an ankle injury.[1] Her failure to defend her points saw her world ranking drop to No. 3 at the end of this tournament.

The ankle injury she suffered at Indian Wells forced her out of the Miami tournament the following week.[11]

Clay court season

Azarenka decided to skip the Stuttgart event, to allow for recovery from her ankle injury. Her next tournament was the Mutua Madrid Open, where she was a finalist last year. She defeated recent Portugal Open champion Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in two tiebreak sets, in her first match since Indian Wells, before being upset in the second round by World No. 24 Ekaterina Makarova in three sets;[12] thus losing her first match this season after eighteen matches undefeated.

Her next tournament was Rome. After receiving a first round bye, she defeated Julia Görges, Ayumi Morita (who retired in the second set), Samantha Stosur[13] and Sara Errani[14] to reach the final, where she was defeated by Serena Williams in straight sets.[15]

Azarenka's next tournament was the French Open. She defeated Elena Vesnina, Annika Beck, Alizé Cornet, 2010 champion Francesca Schiavone and former doubles partner Maria Kirilenko to reach her first French Open semi-final, however, she was defeated there by 2012 champion Maria Sharapova in three sets.

Grass court season

In the first round of the 2013 Wimbledon Championships she defeated Maria João Koehler in straight sets, but suffered a knee injury early in the second set. This injury ultimately forced her to withdraw from the Championships before her second round match against Flavia Pennetta.[16] Her withdrawal was among one of seven big-name casualties on the tournament's third day, which has also led to questions being raised about the surface of the grass.[17] Her withdrawal also ended a streak of four consecutive Grand Slam semi-finals.

US Open series

Victoria Azarenka at the 2013 Southern California Open, where she reached the final.

Following her injury-enforced early exit from Wimbledon, Azarenka returned to action at the 2013 Southern California Open, where she was the top seed. After receiving a first round bye, she defeated Francesca Schiavone, Urszula Radwańska and Ana Ivanovic (the latter in three sets) before losing to Samantha Stosur in straight sets in the championship match. The loss to Stosur marked her first loss against her, after previously winning their first eight encounters.[18]

Azarenka was later forced to withdraw from the Rogers Cup due to a back injury she suffered in the championship match in Carlsbad.[19]

Seeded second at Cincinnati, Azarenka received a first round bye, following which she won her first match at the tournament since 2009, when she defeated local hope Vania King in the second round. That was then followed by wins over Magdaléna Rybáriková, Caroline Wozniacki (her first victory against her since 2009) and Jelena Janković, en route to reaching her fifth final of the year, where she defeated Serena Williams in a thrilling championship match to pick up her third title for the year.[20]

At the US Open, where Azarenka was seeded second, she successfully reached the final for the second consecutive year, only dropping two sets en route. However, she lost in the final to Serena Williams in three sets.[21] She was the only player to win a set against Williams over the last two years.

Asian hard court season

Following the US Open, Azarenka began her Asian swing at the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, where she was the top seed. However, after receiving a first round bye, she lost in the second round to former number one and seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams in straight sets.[22]

Azarenka's next tournament was the China Open, where she was the defending champion. She lost in the first round to Andrea Petkovic in three sets, delivering 15 double faults and committing 44 unforced errors in the process.[23]

WTA Tour Championships

Following Azarenka's run to the US Open final, she qualified for the WTA Tour Championships for the fifth consecutive year. She was placed in the White Group along with Li Na, Sara Errani and Jelena Janković. She started off with a tight straight-sets victory over Errani, but then fell to Janković and Li in her remaining matches, thus failing to reach the semi-finals for the first time since 2010 and spelling an end to her season.[24]

The defeat to Li marked Azarenka's fifth loss in her past six matches, thus making for a poor end to her 2013 season. She ended the year ranked world number two, behind Serena Williams.

All matches

Singles matches

Tournament Match Round Opponent/Ranking Result Score
Brisbane International
Brisbane, Australia
WTA Premier
Hard, outdoor
31 December 2012 – 6 January 2013
1R
Bye
1
2R
Sabine Lisicki / #37
Win
6–3, 6–3
2
QF
Ksenia Pervak / #103
Win
6–1, 6–0
SF
Serena Williams / #3
Withdrew[4]
N/A
Australian Open
Melbourne, Australia
Grand Slam
Hard, outdoor
14–27 January 2013
3
1R
Monica Niculescu / #58
Win
6–1, 6–4
4
2R
Eleni Daniilidou / #94
Win
6–1, 6–0
5
3R
Jamie Hampton / #63
Win
6–4, 4–6, 6–2
6
4R
Elena Vesnina / #47
Win
6–1, 6–1
7
QF
Svetlana Kuznetsova / #75
Win
7–5, 6–1
8
SF
Sloane Stephens / #25
Win
6–1, 6–4
9
W
Li Na / #6
Win (1)
4–6, 6–4, 6–3
Qatar Ladies Open
Doha, Qatar
WTA Premier 5
Hard, outdoor
11–17 February 2013
1R
Bye
10
2R
Romina Oprandi / #62
Win
6–2, 6–3
11
3R
Christina McHale / #44
Win
6–0, 6–0
12
QF
Sara Errani / #7
Win
6–2, 6–2
13
SF
Agnieszka Radwańska / #4
Win
6–3, 6–3
14
W
Serena Williams / #2
Win (2)
7–6(8–6), 2–6, 6–3
Dubai Tennis Championships
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
WTA Premier
Hard, outdoor
18–24 February 2012
Withdrew[10]
Indian Wells
Indian Wells, United States of America
WTA Premier Mandatory
Hard, outdoor
4–17 March 2012
1R
Bye
15
2R
Daniela Hantuchová / #73
Win
6–4, 6–1
16
3R
Kirsten Flipkens / #31
Win
3–6, 6–3, 6–0
17
4R
Urszula Radwańska / #37
Win
6–3, 6–1
QF
Caroline Wozniacki / #10
Withdrew[1]
N/A
Sony Open
Miami, United States of America
WTA Premier Mandatory
Hard, outdoor
18–31 March 2012
Withdrew[11]
Mutua Madrid Open
Madrid, Spain
WTA Premier Mandatory
Clay, outdoor
4–12 May 2013
18
1R
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova / #19
Win
7–6(10–8), 7–6(7–3)
19
2R
Ekaterina Makarova / #24
Loss
6–1, 2–6, 3–6
Internazionali BNL d'Italia
Rome, Italy
WTA Premier 5
Clay, outdoor
13–19 May 2013
1R
Bye
20
2R
Julia Görges / #25
Win
6–2, 6–0
21
3R
Ayumi Morita / #43
Win
6–1, 2–0 ret.
22
QF
Samantha Stosur / #10
Win
6–4, 1–6, 6–4
23
SF
Sara Errani / #8
Win
6–0, 7–5
24
F
Serena Williams / #1
Loss (1)
1–6, 3–6
French Open
Paris, France
Grand Slam
Clay, outdoor
26–9 June 2013
25
1R
Elena Vesnina / #36
Win
6–1, 6–4
26
2R
Annika Beck / #62
Win
6–4, 6–3
27
3R
Alizé Cornet / #27
Win
4–6, 6–3, 6–1
28
4R
Francesca Schiavone / #50
Win
6–3, 6–0
29
QF
Maria Kirilenko / #12
Win
7–6(7–3), 6–2
30
SF
Maria Sharapova / #2
Loss
1–6, 6–2, 4–6
The Championships, Wimbledon
London, Great Britain
Grand Slam
Grass, outdoor
24 June–7 July 2013
31
1R
Maria João Koehler / #107
Win
6–1, 6–2
2R
Flavia Pennetta / #158
Withdrew
N/A
Southern California Open
Carlsbad, United States of America
WTA Premier
Hard, outdoor
28–3 August 2013
1R
Bye
32
2R
Francesca Schiavone / #55
Win
6–2, 6–3
33
QF
Urszula Radwańska / #39
Win
6–1, 6–2
34
SF
Ana Ivanovic / #17
Win
6–0, 4–6, 6–3
35
F
Samantha Stosur / #13
Loss (2)
3–6, 2–6
Rogers Cup
Toronto, Canada
WTA Premier 5
Hard, outdoor
5–11 August 2013
Withdrew
Western & Southern Open
Cincinnati, United States of America
WTA Premier 5
Hard, outdoor
12–18 August 2013
1R
Bye
36
2R
Vania King / #117
Win
6–1, 7–6(8–6)
37
3R
Magdaléna Rybáriková / #33
Win
6–3, 6–4
38
QF
Caroline Wozniacki / #10
Win
6–3, 7–6(7–5)
39
SF
Jelena Janković / #15
Win
4–6, 6–2, 6–3
40
W
Serena Williams / #1
Win (3)
2–6, 6–2, 7–6(8–6)
US Open
New York City, United States of America
Grand Slam
Grass, outdoor
26 August–9 September 2013
41
1R
Dinah Pfizenmaier / #99
Win
6–0, 6–0
42
2R
Aleksandra Wozniak / #323
Win
6–3, 6–1
43
3R
Alizé Cornet / #28
Win
6–7(2–7), 6–3, 6–2
44
4R
Ana Ivanovic / #15
Win
4–6, 6–3, 6–4
45
QF
Daniela Hantuchová / #48
Win
6–2, 6–3
46
SF
Flavia Pennetta / #83
Win
6–4, 6–2
47
F
Serena Williams / #1
Loss (3)
5–7, 7–6(8–6), 1–6
Toray Pan Pacific Open
Tokyo, Japan
WTA Premier 5
Hard, outdoor
23–28 September 2013
1R
Bye
48
2R
Venus Williams / #63
Loss
2–6, 4–6
China Open
Beijing, China
WTA Premier Mandatory
Hard, outdoor
28 September–6 October 2013
49
1R
Andrea Petkovic / #50
Loss
4–6, 6–2, 4–6
WTA Tour Championships
Istanbul, Turkey
WTA Tour Championships
Hard, indoor
22–27 October 2013
50
RR
Sara Errani / #6
Win
7–6(7–4), 6–2
51
RR
Jelena Janković / #8
Loss
4–6, 3–6
52
RR
Li Na / #5
Loss
2–6, 1–6

Tournament schedule

Singles schedule

Victoria Azarenka's 2013 singles tournament schedule is as follows:

Date Championship Location Category Surface Prev. result Prev. points New points Outcome
30 December 2012–
6 January 2013
Brisbane InternationalBrisbane (AUS)WTA PremierHardDNP0200Withdrew before semi-final match (against Serena Williams)[4]
14 January 2013–
27 January 2013
Australian OpenMelbourne (AUS)Grand SlamHardW20002000Won in the final against Li Na
11 February 2013–
17 February 2013
Qatar Total OpenDoha (QAT)WTA Premier 5HardW900900Won in the final against Serena Williams
18 February 2013–
23 February 2013
Dubai Tennis ChampionshipsDubai (UAE)WTA PremierHardDNP00Withdrew before her first match due to a foot injury[10]
4 March 2013–
17 March 2013
Indian WellsIndian Wells (USA)WTA Premier MandatoryHardW1000250Withdrew before quarter-final match (against Caroline Wozniacki)[1]
18 March 2013–
31 March 2013
Sony Ericsson OpenMiami (USA)WTA Premier MandatoryHardQF2500Withdrew before her first match due to an ankle injury[11]
6 May 2013–
12 May 2013
Mutua Madrid MastersMadrid (ESP)WTA Premier MandatoryClayF70060Lost in the second round against Ekaterina Makarova
13 May 2013–
19 May 2013
Internazionali BNL d'ItaliaRome (ITA)WTA Premier 5Clay3R160700Lost in the final against Serena Williams
26 May 2013–
9 June 2013
French OpenParis (FRA)Grand SlamClay4R280900Lost in the semi-finals against Maria Sharapova
23 June 2013–
7 July 2013
WimbledonLondon (GBR)Grand SlamGrassSF900100Withdrew before second round match (against Flavia Pennetta)
28 July 2013–
4 August 2013
Southern California OpenCarlsbad (USA)WTA PremierHardDNP0250Lost in the final against Samantha Stosur
5 August 2013–
11 August 2013
Rogers CupToronto (CAN)WTA Premier 5Hard2R600Withdrew before the tournament began due to a back injury
12 August 2013–
18 August 2013
Western and Southern OpenCincinnati (USA)WTA Premier 5HardDNP0900Won in the final against Serena Williams
26 August 2013–
9 September 2013
US OpenNew York (USA)Grand SlamHardF14001400Lost in the final against Serena Williams
23 September 2013–
28 September 2013
Toray Pan Pacific OpenTokyo (JPN)WTA Premier 5HardQF25060Lost in the second round against Venus Williams
28 September 2013–
6 October 2013
China OpenBeijing (CHN)WTA Premier MandatoryHardW10005Lost in the first round against Andrea Petković
21 October 2013–
27 October 2013
WTA Tour ChampionshipsIstanbul (TUR)WTA Tour ChampionshipsHard (i)SF530400Eliminated in round robin stage

Yearly Records

Head-to-head match-ups

Bold indicates that the player was in the Top 10, italics denotes that the player was in the Top 20 (at the time of the match being played). This list is ordered by number of wins to number of losses in chronological order played.

Singles

Singles: 6 (3–3)

Category
Grand Slam (1–1)
WTA Tour Championships (0–0)
WTA Premier Mandatory (0–0)
WTA Premier 5 (2–1)
WTA Premier (0–1)
Titles by surface
Hard (3–2)
Clay (0–1)
Grass (0–0)
Titles by conditions
Outdoors (3–3)
Indoors (0–0)
OutcomeNo.DateChampionshipSurfaceOpponent in the finalScore in the final
Winner 1. January 26, 2013 Australian Open, Melbourne, Australia Hard Li Na 4–6, 6–4, 6–3
Winner 2. February 17, 2013 Qatar Ladies Open, Doha, Qatar Hard Serena Williams 7–6(8–6), 2–6, 6–3
Runner-up 1. May 19, 2013 Internazionali BNL d'Italia, Rome, Italy Clay Serena Williams 1–6, 3–6
Runner-up 2. August 4, 2013 Southern Californian Open, Carlsbad, USA Hard Samantha Stosur 3–6, 2–6
Winner 3. August 18, 2013 Western & Southern Open, Cincinnati, USA Hard Serena Williams 2–6, 6–2, 7–6(8–6)
Runner-up 3. September 8, 2013 US Open, New York, USA Hard Serena Williams 5–7, 7–6(8–6), 1–6

Earnings

#EventPrize moneyYear-to-date
1 Brisbane International$46,487$46,487
2 Australian Open$2,236,936$2,283,423
3 Qatar Total Open$426,000$2,709,423
4 Indian Wells$104,000$2,813,423
5 Mutua Madrid Open$27,346$2,840,769
6 Internazionali BNL d'Italia$226,385$3,067,154
7 French Open$494,221$3,561,375
8 Wimbledon$59,461$3,620,836
9 Southern California Open$68,200$3,689,036
10 Western & Southern Open$426,000$4,150,036
11 US Open$1,550,000$5,700,036
$5,700,036

Figures in United States dollars (USD) unless noted.

Exhibition matches

Victoria Azarenka took part in the annual BNP Paribas Showdown, where she faced Serena Williams in a rematch of their 2012 US Open final.[25] Azarenka lost the exhibition match in straight sets.[26] At the end of the year Azarenka scored another victory on Williams, in an exhibition in Thailand. She won in straight sets.

OutcomeNo.DateTournamentSurfaceOpponentScore
Lost 1. March 4, 2013 BNP Paribas Showdown, Manhattan, New York Hard Serena Williams 4–6, 3–6
Won 2. December 28, 2013 Intercontinental Hotel, Hua Hin Hard Serena Williams 7–5, 6–3
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See also

References

  1. "Indian Wells: Azarenka, Stosur pull out due to injuries | Tennis – News | NDTVSports.com". Archived from the original on 2013-03-15. Retrieved 2013-03-15.
  2. Azarenka starts 2013 in style – ABC Grandstand Sport – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
  3. Azarenka cruises into semis in Brisbane – ABC Grandstand Sport – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
  4. Azarenka scratched from Brisbane International – ABC Grandstand Sport – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
  5. Azarenka plays through injuries to reach final – ABC Grandstand Sport – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
  6. Azarenka defends Australian Open title – ABC Grandstand Sport – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
  7. Victoria Azarenka promises to learn from Australian Open victory | Sport | The Guardian
  8. Battling Serena becomes oldest world number one – ABC Grandstand Sport – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
  9. Azarenka topples Serena to win in Doha – ABC Grandstand Sport – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
  10. WTA Fans: Azarenka withdraws from Dubai
  11. Azarenka withdraws at Sony with ankle injury – Yahoo! Sports Archived March 25, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  12. Azarenka loses temper and match in Madrid Open, Nadal defends well to reach 3rd round
  13. Stosur, Djokovic crash out of Rome Masters – ABC Grandstand Sport – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
  14. Azarenka sets up Williams final in Rome – ABC Grandstand Sport – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
  15. Nadal, Serena triumph in Rome – ABC Grandstand Sport – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
  16. "Victoria Azarenka pulls out through injury". BBC Sport. 26 June 2013. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
  17. Azarenka goes on attack after seven forced out of Wimbledon with injury, CNN.com
  18. Sam Stosur breaks through to win the WTA Southern Californian Open from Victoria Azarenka, ABC Grandstand Sport (Australian Broadcasting Corporation), 5 August 2013
  19. Victoria Azarenka Withdraws From Toronto Tennis With Back Injury, Bloomberg, 5 August 2013
  20. Victoria Azarenka wins thrilling Cincinnati final against Serena Williams, ABC Grandstand Sport (Australian Broadcasting Corporation), 19 August 2013
  21. Serena Williams wins US Open final with three-set triumph over Victoria Azarenka, ABC Grandstand Sport (Australian Broadcasting Corporation), 9 September 2013
  22. Venus Williams, Samantha Stosur through to last 16 at Pan Pacific Open, ABC Grandstand Sport (Australian Broadcasting Corporation), 25 September 2013
  23. Victoria Azarenka knocked out of China Open in first round by Germany's Andrea Petkovic, ABC Grandstand Sport (Australian Broadcasting Corporation), 1 October 2013
  24. Li Na defeats Victoria Azarenka to qualify for WTA Championships semi-finals, ABC Grandstand Sport (Australian Broadcasting Corporation), 26 October 2013
  25. Azarenka Looking Forward to BNP Paribas Showdown – Tennis Now
  26. Garden party: Serena tops Azarenka in showdown

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