Victoria Azarenka clobbers Maria Sakkari 6-1 6-3 in the semifinal in Ostrava on Saturday after playing a tremendous match to fight against Aryna Sabalenka in the final.
Live score progression and stats
Azarenka started off on the right foot in the set after breaking Sakkari in the 2nd game (2-0) before consolidating her break and lead 5-0. Azarenka managed to strengthen her lead after breaking Maria in the 4th (4-0) game before winning the set (6-1).
There was a pivotal moment in this set when the Belarussian won 5 consecutive games in the 1st set so as to bring the score from 0-0 to 5-0.
Victoria converted 40% of her break points (2/5). She had 5 break points opportunities in the 2nd (1-0 15-40 and 30-40) and the 4th game (3-0 15-40, 30-40 and 40-A). On the other side, Sakkari was unable to convert any of her 4 break points. She had 4 break points opportunities in the 1st game (0-0 30-40, 40-A, 40-A and 40-A).
They contested 50 points. Azarenka was the one to win the set after conquering 12 points more than Sakkari (31-19). Victoria surrendered 10 points on serve (21-10). In addition, on the other side, Sakkari conceded 10 points on serve (9-10).
Azarenka was quite dominant at the beginning of the set to break Sakkari in the 1st game (1-0) before consolidating her break and lead 4-0. Nevertheless, there was more work to do for Victoria to win the set since Sakkari succeeded in breaking back in the 6th (2-4) game. Azarenka maintained her focus to break Sakkari in the 9th (6-3) game.
Victoria missed the chance to break Sakkari in the 7th game when she had 3 consecutive chances (0-40).
There was a pivotal moment in this set when the Belarussian won 4 consecutive games in the 2nd set so as to bring the scoreline from 0-0 to 4-0.
Victoria converted 37% of her break points (3/8). She had 8 break points opportunities in the 0th (0-0 30-40 and 40-A), the 2nd (2-0 40-A), the 5th (4-0 40-A), the 7th (4-2 0-40, 15-40 and 30-40) and the 9th game (5-3 40-A). Moreover, on the other side, Maria converted 25% of her break points (1/4). She had her opportunities in the 4th (0-3 30-40 and 40-A), the 6th (1-4 0-40) and the 8th game (3-4 40-A).
They contested 86 points. Azarenka won 4 more points than Sakkari (45-41). Victoria lost 19 points on serve (21-19). on the other side of the net, Sakkari conceded 24 points on serve (22-24).
Stats: aces, double faults, breaks, winners
1h:37
At the end of the match, Victoria scored 76 points vs. Sakkari’s 60.
Victoria won this match even if she was struggling when converting her break points after she converted only 38% (5/13) of the procured opportunities. On the other side, Maria was struggling when converting her break points (only 13% – 1/8). That was one of the key issues for her defeat.
After this match, the head to head between Azarenka and Sakkari is 1-0 for Victoria.
Highlights Victoria Azarenka vs. Maria Sakkari J&T Banka Ostrava Open – Ostrava
Draw and next match H2H: Victoria Azarenka vs. Aryna Sabalenka – stats
Azarenka will face Sabalenka in the final.
This will be the 3rd time that Victoria Azarenka and Aryna Sabalenka clash against each other. The head to head is 1-1 for Azarenka and Sabalenka (see full H2H stats), but they have never competed against each other on I.hard.
The last time that they locked horns, Azarenka won 6-1 6-3 in the 2nd round in New York back in September 2020.
Tennis Scores in Ostrava
- Aryna SabalenkaSabalenka – Jennifer BradyBrady (6-4 6-4) – Stats and score progression
- Victoria AzarenkaAzarenka – Maria SakkariSakkari (6-1 6-3) – Stats and score progression
Upcoming matches
- Victoria AzarenkaAzarenka – Aryna SabalenkaSabalenka (1-1) – H2H details and stats
