Thursday, August 28, 2025

US.4- Echoes of Azarenka


Hey, I remember her!




It's 2025, and Victoria Azarenka is virtually a walking time capsule of a particular moment in the sport, both not that long ago *and* a long time ago (it's often like that in tennis), when the women's tour had its very own "Big 3."

In the early 2010s, Azarenka, Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova formed something of a triumvirate at the top of the WTA. During a stretch from 2011-13, one of the three appeared in eight consecutive major finals (3 times facing each other, w/ a 4th match-up two slams later), combining to win six straight titles and, at the zenith of their three-pronged dominant stretch, they swept the medal stand at the London Olympics in 2012. At those same Games, in addition to her singles Bronze, Azarenka also won Mixed Gold.

From 2011-13, Azarenka finished in the Top 3 each year (and was year-end #1 in '12), reaching four straight hard court slam finals (winning back-to-back AO, but falling in three sets twice in NY vs. Williams). Azarenka and Williams had a *true* rivalry, far more so than Serena had with Sharapova. They met 23 times, 11 times in majors. Azarenka won just five of those matches, but four of the victories came in their nine match-ups in finals. Over their final 13 meetings, they went three sets eight times, with Azarenka winning their final battle in the 2020 U.S. Open semis.

Over the past decade-plus, Williams and Sharapova have retired, all three have become mothers, and this past weekend Serena introduced Maria at her Hall of Fame introduction ceremony in Newport. Williams will officially join her there soon (she'll be eligible in two years).

Meanwhile, the now 36-year old Azarenka plays on, several years after she soared as high as she once did.

Suffice to say, there was a time that Azarenka, too, was a *lock* for the Hall of Fame. She likely still is, though most of her major accomplishments came long enough ago now that some may have somewhat forgotten her former place of prominance in the sport, and many of today's top stars may be too young to have "living" memories of her peak years.

Perhaps the Belarussian's longevity is tied to the stetches of her career that were "lost," namely much of the back-end of 2010s. After injuries knocked her from atop the rankings in 2014-15, Azarenka came back strong in 2016, pulling off a "Sunshine Double" with back-to-back titles in Indian Wells and Miami. But rather than reclaim her position in the sport, she spent most of the next few years off tour, first when on maternity leave and then during a protracted custody battle for her son Leo that restricted her travel outside of the U.S.. From 2016-18, she missed six of seven majors, but then she charged back yet again.

In 2020, a season turned chaotic by a pandemic, tournament cancellations, the tour's shutdown and a hastily re-arranged summer/fall schedule, Azarenka was suddenly soaring once more. With the Cincinnati event held on the grounds of the Flushing Meadows bubble along with the U.S. Open, she reached the final of both. After claiming the Cincy crown (w/ a Naomi Osaka walkover), her first title since Miami '16, she was the runner-up (again) at the U.S. Open, dropping a three-set final to Osaka (her third such loss so close to the crown in NYC over a nine-year span).

Azarenka has reached just two tour finals since, a late '20 loss in Ostrava to Aryna Sabalenka (who has since gone on to surpass her as the most accomplished BLR player in WTA history) and a three-set defeat in Indian Wells in 2021 (the October edition) to Paula Badosa. Still, Vika has been able to hang around *near* the top of the game, adding thirteen Top 10 wins to her career total (for 81) and finishing in the Top 30 every season from 2020-24.

But Azarenka came into this U.S. Open ranked #132, with just a 9-11 mark in a season marred by injury and without a single QF result. Her best finish, a 3rd Round, came all the way back in January in Brisbane, and her only multi-win effort (3 victories in Bad Homburg) came when she was forced to play qualifying (she knocked off Veronika Kudermetova, then Laura Siegemund before a loss to Iga Swiatek). But she arrived in New York having not played a match since Wimbledon.

While so many of her fellow stars of years past are long since retired, or falling off one by one in farewell matches at seemingly every recent major, Azarenka continues to traverse the world with Leo, seeking *something* more along the way on the courts of the tennis world that she once threatened to rule, and often did.

If we're lucky, maybe at some point she'll have the *extended moment* that will remind everyone of how things used to be.

So, anything Vika can do these days to "ring that bell" is a welcome development. Seeing her (so far) playing into the 3rd Round of this Open, courtesy of her 6-3/6-3 win today over Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, is reason to take a moment to wake up those old echoes of the mind's eye.



After posting 1r-2r-1r results in the season's first three majors, Vika's win on Day 4 extends her streak of seasons reaching a least one slam 3rd Round to twenty (i.e. every year she's been on tour, since her 2006 major debut). Playing in her 18th U.S. Open, the major that she's never won but which has always seemed to fit her on-court personality (gritty, often loud, and intent) better than any other, Azarenka has now played more matches at Flushing Meadows (67) than she has at any other major, and her 50 match wins equal the AO for the most in her career.



In addition to being the fifth woman with 100 hard court wins in majors, Azarenka is one of just four with at least a 50-win/50-win split between the AO and U.S. (Steffi Graf misses the list, with just 47 AO wins).

Up next for Vika will be #4 seed Jessie Pegula, a finalist in this event just last year. Could this be one of those "moments" that might awaken a few of those Echoes of Azarenka in the minds of the tennis world?

Could we be so fortunate?





=DAY 4 NOTES=
...later in the day, the first seed to fall in the 2nd Round was #25 Alona Ostapenko, falling in straight sets to doubles #1 Taylor Townsend.



Yeah, that's what they call "burying the lede," as this is all anyone will remember about this result...



It's tempting to wonder if maybe Alona was auditioning to be Emma Navarro's doubles partner, right?

Maybe, but the situations *are* a bit different. While Navarro's at-the-net putdown of Zheng Qinwen at last year's Olympics was a calculated insult that she thought about during the match, the Ostapenko/Townsend dust-up -- not the first for Ostapenko over the years, either -- was clearly precipitated by Ostapenko being upset about something from the match. Afterward, a detail that Townsend never acknowledged (but you can see in the video was at least one of the issues, whether it was a worthy one or not... psst, it's not), largely centered around a net cord shot during the match that Townsend didn't "apologize" for, as well as Townsend's "etiquette"-breaking warm-up prior to the match. Here's what Ostapenko posted about it all...



Clearly, something was said beneath the umpire's chair that lit one's fuse, then like a string of fireworks the explosions were going everywhere. Some are going to forever accuse Ostapenko's comments of having racist undertones, no matter that English isn't her first language nor should she be expected to understand the cultural implications of using certain buzz phrases. I don't believe the racial angle was intentional, but it goes without saying that by saying what she did to an African-American, especially in the U.S., she's going to have to deal with those charges from a lot of corners now.

While it feels like the "I'm-right-and-you're-wrong-so-you're-uneducated" attack is Ostapenko's *go-to* under such circumstances when she's angry over losing and has decided to latch onto something from a match (I bet she's used that tactic before, and would have against any opponent today), but sometimes the best thing to say is to not say anything at all. It was really uncalled-for, and a totally avoidable situation.



Aside from a few things, Townsend's actions were understandable. She, too, could have avoided the whole thing by not getting into it with Ostapenko, but she stood up for herself. Though she should have indicated in her comments later what Ostapenko's issues were, not only focus on what was said in the heat of the moment, knowing how it would sound to the ears of U.S. fans. But, still, that's more on Alona than Taylor.

BTW, there's a great angle on it all here (and you hear Townsend's chef's-kiss response more clearly)...



In a Perfectly Petra sort of world, these type of situations wouldn't happen at all, but that's why Kvitova's temperament and much-loved persona were such winning standouts over the years, while that of so many others (and Alona has always tended to be one of those)... are simply not.

...later, Aussie Priscilla Hon rallied from a set down to upset #17 Liudmila Samsonova. Firing 18 aces on the day, the 27-year old reaches her maiden career slam 3rd Round *and* is officially the Last Qualifier Standing at this U.S. Open. The sixteen qualifiers have gone a combined 4-15 (while wild cards, with Caty McNally going out today, went 1-8).









...MEANWHILE, UNDER THE COVER OF DARKNESS SUNLIGHT... ON DAY 4:





...TWO DOWN... ON DAY 4 (and some comments from Day 2):





...UP-AND-COMING CRUSHER #1 SAYS, "UNTIL NEXT TIME"... ON DAY 4:





...HANG IT IN THE LOUVRE MET... ON DAY 4:





...AND SINCE THERE WERE TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES WITH DIANE'S ORIGINAL PETRA TRIBUTE POST... ON DAY 4:























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**RECENT U.S. OPEN "LAST QUALIFIER STANDING" WINNERS**
=2018=
Karolina Muchova/CZE (3rd Rd.)
=2019=
Taylor Townsend/USA (4th Rd.)
=2021=
Emma Raducanu/GBR (W)
=2022=
Clara Burel/FRA and Yuan Yue/CHN (3rd Rd.)
=2023=
Kaja Juvan/SLO and Greet Minnen/BEL (3rd Rd.)
=2024=
Gabriela Ruse/ROU and Jessika Ponchet/FRA (3rd Rd.)
=2025=
Priscilla Hon/AUS (in 3rd Rd.)

**BACKSPIN 2025 WTA RISER-OF-THE-MONTH WINNERS**
JAN (pre-AO): Coco Gauff, USA
AO: Paula Badosa, ESP
FEB: Amanda Anisimova, USA
MAR: Aryna Sabalenka, BLR
1Q...SABALENKA
APR: Ekaterina Alexandrova, RUS
MAY: Aryna Sabalenka, BLR
RG: Aryna Sabalenka, BLR
2Q Clay Court...PAOLINI, ITA
JUN: Jessie Pegula, USA
WI: Belinda Bencic, SUI
2Q Grass Court...BENCIC
JUL: Marie Bouzkova, CZE
AUG (pre-U.S.): Clara Tauson, DEN
[Multiple 2025 Weekly RISER Award Wins]
6 - Liudmila Samsonova, RUS
6 - Dayana Yastremska, UKR
5 - Aryna Sabalenka, BLR
4 - Jaqueline Cristian, ROU
4 - Coco Gauff, USA
4 - Elena Rybakina, KAZ
4 - Clara Tauson, DEN
3 - Mirra Andreeva, RUS
3 - Amanda Anisimova, USA
3 - Lucia Bronzetti, ITA
3 - Marta Kostyuk, UKR
3 - Emma Navarro, USA
2 - Ekaterina Alexandrova, RUS
2 - Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, ESP
2 - Olga Danilovic, SRB
2 - Anna Kalinskaya, RUS
2 - Dasha Kasatkina, AUS
2 - McCartney Kessler, USA
2 - Linda Noskova, CZE
2 - Camila Osorio, COL
2 - Jasmine Paolini, ITA
2 - Anastasia Potapova, RUS
2 - Emma Raducanu, GBR
2 - Gabriela Ruse, ROU
2 - Zheng Qinwen, CHN

**BACKSPIN 2025 WTA SURPRISE-OF-THE-MONTH WINNERS**
JAN (pre-AO): McCartney Kessler, USA
AO: Eva Lys, GER
FEB: Emiliano Arango, COL
MAR: Hailey Baptiste, USA
1Q...EALA, PHI
APR: Tiantsoa Sarah Rakotomanga Rajaonah, FRA
MAY: Moyuka Uchijima, JPN
RG: Lois Boisson, FRA
2Q Clay Court...BOISSON
JUN: Carson Branstine, CAN
WI: Zeynep Sonmez, TUR
2Q Grass Court...SIERRA, ARG
JUL: Francesca Jones, GBR
AUG (pre-U.S.): Aoi Ito, JPN
[Multiple 2025 Weekly SURPRISE Award Wins]
4 - Hailey Baptiste, USA
2 - Carson Branstine, CAN
2 - Aoi Ito, JPN
2 - Ashlyn Krueger, USA
2 - Suzan Lamens, NED
2 - Whitney Osuigwe, USA
2 - Rebecca Sramkova, SVK
2 - Moyuka Uchijima, JPN




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TOP QUALIFIER: Janice Tjen, INA
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r): x
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): x
TOP LATE-ROUND (SF-F): x
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH: Q2: Dominika Salkova/CZE def. Kristina Dmitruk/BLR 6-3/5-7/7-6(10-8) - saved 4 MP on serve at 6-5 in the 3rd, then trailed 4-1 in MTB
TOP EARLY-RD. MATCH (1r-2r): x
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): x
TOP LATE-RD. MATCH (SF-F): x
=============================
FIRST VICTORY: Polina Kudermetova/RUS (def. Parrizas Diaz/ESP, ret. after 2-2 in 1st set)
FIRST SEED OUT: #24 Veronika Kudermetova/RUS (1r, lost to qualifier Tjen/INA)
FIRST CAREER SLAM MD WINS: Alex Eala/PHI (3rd GS MD), Polina Kudermetova/RUS (5th MD) and Janice Tjen/INA (1st MD)
PROTECTED RANKING MD WINS: Sorana Cirstea/ROU (in 2r)
LUCKY LOSER MD WINS: no LL in MD
UPSET QUEENS: Asia (seeded upsets by Tjen/INA, Eala/PHI; Uchijima saved 7 MP vs. Danilovic)
REVELATION LADIES: Russia (10-3 1r; first slam MD W by P.Kudermetova, and first US wins by Blinkova and Zakharova)
NATION OF POOR SOULS: China (1-5 1st Rd.; 0-5 start; Zheng Qinwen DNP)
CRASH & BURN: Nominee: #6 Keys (AO champ loses 1r to Zarazua; second US 1r exit in 12 years)
ZOMBIE QUEEN OF NEW YORK: Nominees: Eala (1r- trailed 5-1 in 3rd vs. #14 Tauson), Uchijima (1r- saved 7 MP, down triple MP twice vs. Danilovic), Zarazua (1r- down set and 3-0 vs. #6 Keys); Vekic (1r- trailed Bouzas Maneiro 6-3/4-2)
IT ("?"): x
Ms.OPPORTUNITY: x
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: Priscilla Hon/AUS (in 3rd Rd.)
LAST WILD CARD STANDING: Caty McNally/USA (2nd Rd.)
LAST BANNERETTE STANDING: 12 in 2nd Rd.; wins by Li, Navarro, Pegula, Townsend
COMEBACK: x
VETERAN PLAYER (KIMIKO CUP): x
DOUBLES STAR: x
BIG APPLE BANNERETTE BREAKTHROUGH: x
BROADWAY-BOUND: Nominees: "Exquisitely Back in the City" (Sharapova gets HoF ring on Ashe, 19 years after won title); "Mortal Kombat: NYC" (Townsend/Ostapenko)
LADY OF THE EVENING: x
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: x







All for Day 4. More tomorrow.

posted by Todd.Spiker @ 12:35 AM 

1 Comments:

Blogger Diane said...

Now that he's "in the news," it's worth mentioning that when Medvedev made a blatantly racist comment, it was ignored after about five minutes (which surprised me---I thought that it was just sexist/misogynistic comments that ATP players could make and still be loved, even by those who identify as feminist), and he became adored (people like 13-year-old boy-level humor, I suppose). But when a WTA player makes a (hurtful and nasty) comment that most likely wasn't intended as racist, the place lights up.

Interesting, too, that Ostapenko used the Wozniacki playbook. :)

Thu Aug 28, 10:43:00 AM EDT  

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