On Tennis
By CHRISTOPHER CLAREY
MELBOURNE, Australia — For a former champion intent on becoming a future champion, Victoria Azarenka hardly had a welcome-back draw at this Australian Open: Sloane Stephens in the first round and Caroline Wozniacki in the second.
But Azarenka is now clear of that early trouble without the loss of a set, and her 6-4, 6-2 victory Thursday night over the eighth-seeded Wozniacki was a deeply convincing display of all-court tennis and full-throated intensity.
“I think tonight Vika was inspired,” her coach, Sam Sumyk, said. “I think she was happy to go play that match, because it feels good to play the best players in the world and see where you’re really at.”
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She is now into the third round of a Grand Slam singles tournament for the first time and will face Brengle, a 24-year-old from Delaware who is also new to this stage of a major tournament.
“It’s cool that all Americans are there in the third round because it means at least one American is going into the fourth round,” Vandeweghe said. “If she’s American, Czech, whatever, it doesn’t matter. I have to go out there and compete and win the match because that’s what I go out there to do.”
It is what all singles players go out to do at this level, but there can be only one winner per match. While Azarenka exulted and danced on court, Wozniacki packed her bags and headed for the locker room, still searching for her first Grand Slam title.
After reaching the United States Open final last year and rising back to the top 10, Wozniacki continued a trend of diminishing returns in Australia. She reached the semifinals here in 2011, the quarterfinals in 2012, the fourth round in 2013, the third round in 2014 and now the second round this year.
“Hopefully I’m going to break that next year and start going the other way,” she said. “I love this tournament, and I’m so sad to be out already. Obviously it was a tough draw for both of us, but she came out on top and played better.”
