Azarenka overcomes injury, Stosur in Qatar final

This was Azarenka's 17th straight victory and her first title since replacing Caroline Wozniacki as No. 1 after winning the Australian Open. It was her third title overall in 2012.

Azarenka showed no ill effects after twisting her left ankle in the semifinal against Agnieszka Radwanska on Saturday.

She broke the fifth-ranked Stosur twice to lead 4-1 in the first set, making a brief trip to the net to clinch it with a backhand volley. Azarenka was on her way to victory after winning the first three games of the second set.

Fearful of further aggravating her ankle injury, Azarenka said she tried to keep the rallies short and took advantage of the windy conditions. The ankle was wrapped during the match and Azarenka said it should be fine after a few days of rest.

Azarenka improved to 6-0 against the Stosur after having previously beaten the Australian in November at the year-ending WTA Championships.

She kept Stosur's potent kick serve in check with her return game, resulting in her opponent winning only 50 percent of first-serve points and 48 percent on the second. Azarenka also displayed a range of shots and ran down most balls, forcing Stosur to make 25 unforced errors to only eight for the Belarusian.

Azarenka will play at the Dubai Championships next week in Doha, the place where she lost in the first round last year and said she considered quitting tennis.

Subscribe to The China Post and save 25%. Click here

PrintEmail

Write a Comment

Terms

Enter your comments - 3000 characters max

Type in image code

Submit

 Receive China Post promos
 Respond to this email