Victoria Azarenka: Maria Sharapova, Pt. 2?

The new No. 8-ranked woman in the WTA is Victoria Azarenka, born in Minsk, Belarus. 

Many compare her to long-legged tennis beauty Maria Sharapova, because they both have high-pitched shrieks accompanying their explosive baseline bullets and counter punches. 

As Sharapova shrinks to No. 30, her teenaged counterpart continues her climb up the rankings. 

The current Scottsdale, Arizona resident bludgeoned her way into the final of WTA Sony Ericsson Masters Series final in Key Biscayne this past weekend through Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Anna Chakvetadze, Agnes Szavay, Samantha Stosur, and Svetlana Kuznetsova to reach the finals. 

It was like chopping through the thick undergrowth of an Amazon rain forest, but Azarenka survived.

Once there, Azarenka finished off an almost immovable Serena Williams in the finals, 6-3, 6-1.

The younger Williams sister was there physically, but she lost her game back in the semifinals when she overcame her sister Venus, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, in a hard-fought contest to advance to the finals. 

Historically, Venus and Serena have met 20 times, with each sister winning 10. In later years, their matches have become extremely competitive. 

When Serena showed up with a heavily taped left leg, signaling weakness, Azarenka contracted a giant case of nerves instead of taking advantage immediately.

Together they delivered a competitive first set, until Azarenka calmed her nerves and Serena depleted what was left of her energy and her will to fight. Late in the opener, Azarenka won four straight games and took the first set. 

When Serena could no longer serve effectively, Victoria made short work of the second set as well, winning the last five games. She closed it out even though her jitters almost jinxed her on her way over that final hurdle. 

When she won, she tossed her racket into the air and jumped up and down all the way to the net. It was the biggest win of her career and her first Masters Series victory. It also propelled her to No. 8 in the WTA rankings.

Just an inch shorter than six feet, with a powerful two-handed back hand, Azarenka has been improving steadily since she turned pro in 2003. She was named the junior world champion in 2005.

She won her first tournament in 2005, defeating Viktoriya Kutuzova in the finals of the ITF Roller Open in Luxembourg. Azarenka’s ranking continued to climb as the level of her play improved.

In January of 2009, Azarenka won the title in Brisbane, Australia, defeating French woman Marion Bartoli, 6-3, 6-1. 

When she had to retire during her match with Serena Williams in the fourth round of the 2009 Australian Open, Azarenka was leading, 6-3, 2-4. It was a huge disappointment, but she could not continue the match.     

From there, Azarenka went on to win the title in Memphis, the Cellular South Cup Championship, by defeating Caroline Wozniacki, 6-1, 6-3. The two finalists then went on to partner in doubles and win that championship as well.

She was a semifinal loser to Vera Zvonareva at the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, but her success at that tournament moved her up to No. 10 in the WTA rankings. This marked a career best. 

Her win at the Sony Ericsson Masters Series Tournament over Serena Williams is by far Azarenka’s most significant. It not only has moved her inside the top 10 in women’s tennis, but it has showcased her maturity and her ability to handle the pressure.

Early on, Azarenka had a reputation for crumbling at the end of matches, blowing huge leads and wilting under the pressure.

These meltdowns were products of a lack of both physical conditioning and mental toughness. Azarenka also had a fiery quick temper. Her shrieking, temper, and attitude did not win her many fans or add to her success.

As a growing teenager, she had issues with fitness because of illness and injury. She hired a fitness coach, Pat Etcheberry, to oversee her conditioning. He worked with her prior to the 2008 season. Later, she worked with Antonio Van Grichen.

The work is paying off, and the 19-year-old now has a firm grasp on her temper, mettle, and ever-improving game. 

Azarenka, Agnieszka Radwanska (No. 11), and Caroline Wozniacki (No. 12) are the three new girls on the block. Radwanska just turned 20, but Azarenka, 19, and Wozniacki, 18, are still teenagers. 

They are the future of the women’s game, along with other young women at the top, like Ana Ivanovic, 21, and Dinara Safina, 22. 

Will Sharapova return? Will the Williams sisters retain their winning ways? Or will the young gunslingers take over the town? Time will tell...stay tuned.