Angelique Kerber tops former world No. 1 Victoria Azarenka in quarterfinals
MELBOURNE, Australia – Victoria Azarenka, the former world No. 1 and a two-time champion here, was beaten in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, 6-3, 7-5 by No. 7 seed Angelique Kerber.
By seeds – Azarenka is the No. 14 here – it’s no upset, but many had picked Azarenka, with her aggressive baseline play and penchant for big-match scenarios, as the favorite to come through the bottom half of the draw, which had lost No. 2 Simona Halep and No. 3 Garbiñe Muguruza in the first week.
Here’s what went down inside Rod Laver Arena.
Scoreline: [7] Angelique Kerber (GER) def. [14] Victoria Azarenka (GER) 6-3, 7-5
Kerber, 28, was 0-6 coming into her match with Azarenka Wednesday, the Belarusian winning an outright classic at the U.S. Open last year, as well as taking Kerber out in the finals in Brisbane just over two weeks ago. But on this day, Kerber was the aggressor, hitting 31 winners to Azarenka’s 28. The margins – however small – made the difference.
What it means: Kerber makes her third career Grand Slam semifinal appearance and first since Wimbledon in 2012, having lost here in the first round a year ago. She’ll be the favorite in the semifinal as she faces world No. 47 Johanna Konta, a Briton who beat Chinese qualifier Zhang Shuai in the afternoon's second quarterfinal, 6-4, 6-1. Konta becomes the first British woman into a major semifinal since Jo Durie in 1983.
It was Azarenka’s first loss of the season having won 10 straight matches and not dropping a set, including that 6-3, 6-1 victory over Kerber in the Brisbane final.
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How it happened: Kerber, a lefty, came out firing, sprinting to a 4-0 lead before Azarenka, winner here in 2012 and 2013, found her footing and broke back for 3-4. But the German held her nerve to hold for 5-3, then broke Azarenka in a topsy-turvy game, taking the set on her fourth chance when Azarenka fired a backhand groundstroke well long.
It appeared as though these two were heading for a deciding set, much the same as their U.S. Open clash a year ago. As Azarenka built a 5-2 lead, she earned three set points at 40-love on serve, only to watch them slip away and then get broken. Kerber held serve for 4-5 then saved another two set points – five in total – and won the game with a forehand winner passing shot up the line.
The momentum was clearly in her court and Kerber took it, holding for 6-5 and winning her fifth consecutive game and the match, with another forehand passing shot, dropping her racket and placing her hands on her head in disbelief.
Key stat: Kerber outhit Azarenka in the winners category 31 to 28, and broke serve twice as much, six times to three. Twenty-seven of their total 150 points were nine shots or more, two thirds of those won by the more patient Kerber, who waited for her openings. Kerber was clutch on the big points, not just saving the set points in the second, but also denying five of eight break points she faced in the match.
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What was said: “I can’t actually describe it in words,” said a wide-eyed Kerber after the win. “I was just telling myself, ‘Just play how you play on the practice courts; Just believe that you can beat her.’ I’m just so, so happy that I finally beat her. I was trying to just go for it. It’s just amazing…it’s an incredible feeling.”
"I think I was a little bit too flat today," Azarenka told reporters. "My footwork didn't have enough. My shots didn't have enough. I felt I did a little bit too many unforced errors in the key moments. I created a lot of opportunities, but then I was not enough on my opportunities. I didn't take them. I had plenty."
She added: "You know, that's not going to win matches in quarterfinals. You have to bring it, and I didn't."
Kerber is the first German to make the semifinals here since Anke Huber in 1998. The last German to win here was Steffi Graf, back in 1994. Kerber said on court she worked with her last year at Graf’s home in Las Vegas.
“Steffi is a legend, she was a champion,” Kerber said. “I was in Vegas last year, it’s always nice to hear something from a champion and just believe in yourself.”
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