Agnieszka Radwanska has beaten number two seeded defending champion Vika Azarenka 6-1, 5-7, 6-0 in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open.
A five time quarter-finalist, Radwanska had obviously decided she had had enough of bowing out in the last eight. And enough of losing to Azarenka who had beaten her the last 7 times, and 12 of 15 times in total.
Radwanska got off to a quick start against an out of sorts Azarenka. The Pole was doing what she does best, mixing up the pace and the balls and throwing Azarenka off her rhythm. The Azarenka errors piled up to the tune of 17 while the Pole’s stayed low, 3 in total, and before you knew it, Radwanska took the first five games. It was an ambush of an opening, one which got the better of Vika who had a shouting fit 0-5 down. The outburst did her some good-she won the next game-but Radwanska was not thrown off. On a mission, she served out for the set to take it 6-1.
Azarenka, experienced pro that she is, cleaned up her act in the second set, winning the opening game with a drive volley winner. She put Radwanska under pressure, too, at 1-0, but Radwanska fought off break points with her drop shots and lobs, and some attack thrown in. It was this drive to force the issue rather than react which saw Radwanska break in the next game, a down the line backhand winner doing the deed and sending her 2-1 up. Vika though broke straight back for 2-2 and the set went all the way to the business end as Azarenka’s level improved and Radwanska’s remained high.
At 5-6 though, Radwanska’s weakest link let her down. With Azarenka returning well again, the Belorussian teed off on Radwanska’s second serve for a forehand winner on the return to take the second set 7-5.
The writing looked to be on the wall. Azarenka was back in the match and when these two meet and she plays well, quite simply she wins. And with Radwanska having dropped her serve so tamely, it was hard to imagine her doing anything but slipping away. The Pole had other ideas, though. Some of them quite brilliant. At 0-0, after a long game lasting 10 minutes, Radwanska got break point. She chased down a drop shot and drop volleyed it to the other side of the net, forcing Azarenka into error. Furious, Azarenka smashed a ball over the net.
The fury was to mount for Azarenka as the Pole’s play peaked. Radwanska held and then, hitting deep, forced an error from Azarenka’s forehand to break again. At 3-0, a perfectly placed cross court forehand and a 167kmph ace, the first of the match, aced her into a 4-0 lead.
Then matters became ridiculous as Radwanska gave a lesson in how to turn denfense into attack. Running from side to side retrieving every ball thrown at her, Radwanska then moved forward to hit a mid court volley winner. The crowd could not believe it. Neither could Radwanska. And we don’t even want to think about what Azarenka made of it all as she stared another break point in the face. Her face after a double fault to go down 0-5 told us all we needed to know. This was a horror show for the defending champion. But her horror show was Radwanska’s cinematic masterpiece.
The masterpiece was finished with the perfect shots. A serve out wide then a backhand winner into the open court for 15-0. A big serve and a winner on the short ball to get match point. Radwanska missed the first serve and was left with her second one, her weakest shot. She puffed it in, leaving it to the fates, and they were kind to her. Or Azarenka was. The defending champion took on the forehand return with all her might and blew it long. Game set and match Radwanska.
The crowd stood on their feet. It was the ultimate taking apart of a champion they had never really taken to. The underdog had made use of all her tools and found something extra to grab a famous win and leave the draw wide open, as wide open as Radwanska likes to have the court, ready for her perfectly placed shots.
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