Shaky Azarenka Rallies to Defeat Ivanovic

Victoria Azarenka may be the only woman capable of stopping Serena Williams from winning her 17th Grand Slam singles title at the US Open.

Or at least the only one capable of giving Serena a run for her money.

Azarenka, the No. 2 seed from Belarus, led Williams by a break in the third set of last year’s Open final before ultimately losing, but she owns two victories this year over Serena on hardcourts.

So when Azarenka lost the first set to No. 13 Ana Ivanovic on Tuesday, it appeared that the women’s draw might open up, allowing Williams a clear path to the championship.

But a shaky Azarenka rebounded for a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory that propelled her into the quarterfinals, where she will meet unseeded Daniela Hantuchova. Because her match against Ivanovic was postponed from Monday because of rain, Azarenka must turn around and play the quarterfinals without a day’s rest on Wednesday.

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Photo: NY Times

Written by Adam Zagoria

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Adam Zagoria is a Basketball Insider who covers basketball at all levels. A contributor to The New York Times and SportsNet New York (SNY), he is also the author of two books and is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker. His articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide. He also won an Emmy award for his work on the SNY mini-documentary on Syracuse guard Tyus Battle. A veteran Ultimate Frisbee player, he has competed in numerous National and World Championships and, perhaps more importantly, his teams won the Westchester Summer League (WSL) championships in 2011 and 2013. He lives in Manhattan with his wife and children.