Kvitova Beats Azarenka to Reach Women?s Final
By JOHN MARTIN
Kerim Okten/European Pressphoto AgencyPetra Kvitova lost only one game in winning the first set. WIMBLEDON, England ? Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic won a tough three-set victory over Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, 6-1, 3-6, 6-2, to advance to the Wimbledon women?s final.
?I can?t, I can?t say anything,? she told an interviewer as she came off the court, but managed to add: ?I can?t believe I?m in the final.?
She was, with a gritty display of all-court control, momentarily weakened in the second set, when the shrieking Azarenka steadied her nerves and stroked her way back to contention.
Kvitova was serving notice she could be a formidable presence in the final. She beat three of the world?s six top-ranked players earlier in the year, including Azarenka in the finals at Madrid. Now she has returned to a Wimbledon seeding list that is in disarray.
She will face the winner of the match between Maria Sharapova of Russia and wild card Sabine Lisicki of Germany.
The sun peeks out for a moment. Feels good to see it. Kvitova takes heart, it seems, jamming a forehand service return at Azarenka?s feet, denying her a game point. Azarenka sails a forehand long and wide and hands the match point to the Czech. Then it?s over.
Interesting. Kvitova keeps her breath controlled, Azarenka controls it in a different way. If Azarenka is hitting her shots successfully, her sound trails along with the ball, still audible as her opponent addresses it. If she misses, if the ball slams into the net, her sound halts abruptly, as if the net has cut off her breathing. Funny. Metaphors fail me.
Interesting. Kvitova keeps her breath controlled, Azarenka controls it in a different way. If Azarenka is hitting her shots successfully, her sound trails along with the ball, still audible as her opponent addresses it. If she misses, if the ball slams into the net, her sound halts abruptly, as if the net has cut off her breathing. Funny. Metaphors fail me.
Azarenka calms down. A gorgeous point. Both players slam the ball cross court, then into the corners, then Kvitova jams a forehand to the baseline and Azarenka lofts it high and deep over her head, winning the point and a glimmer of a chance to break serve. Then she passes Kvitova at net. The break point at hand doesn?t go her way and they?re back to deuce. Kvitova steadies herself, Azarenka hits a jittery forehand, then Kvitova pulls an ace out of her quiver and jumps ahead. Time is running out for the Belarus belter.
Oddball statistics. The match was tied at a set apiece. Kvitova had hit 8 aces to none for Azarena, and a lopsided 27 winners to Azarenka?s 5. This suggests that statistics can confuse things if you?re relying on them for an explanation.
Kvitova steadies herself at the start of the third set and allows Azarenka to start missing. Her forehand sails long to put her down 15-40. Azarenka saves one by wrong-footing Kvitova, who gets to the ball in time but slaps a backhand long. Azarenka can?t pull off a comeback here and loses her serve. The train could be leaving the station. That?s another metaphor for locomotion is beginning to show in one player?s game to the detriment of the other. Azarenka doesn?t have much time left to recover that lost service game. Kvitova ices the lead by winning her serve.
It seems impossible, but Azarenka manages to get four syllables out of each shriek while running up a 40-love lead. Kvitova halts the landslide with a forehand up the line that catches Azarenka running the wrong way at net. Then Azarenka, who has just squandered a set point, bats a backhand into the net. But the Gods of tennis are smiling on Azarenka, even if they are holding their ears. She bulldozes Kvitova with deep forehands, finally forcing her Czech opponent to slap a forehand long. The match is tied. This could mean it?s not a blowout. Let me know what you think in the comments section at the bottom. Thanks.
If you?re sitting far back on Centre Court, or maybe 6,000 miles away in your pajamas, both players look pretty much the same. Odd, both wear white headbands from a certain sportswear manufacturer, with the knot tied and wispy white bands trailing. Just below that, you see mostly dirty blondish hair knotted in a braid. So who?s who? If it helps, their racket grips are different colors, Azarenka?s a faded blue, Kvitova?s Wimbledon white.
Kvitova has reached a danger zone. She?s back on her heels and Azarenka is leaning forward in anticipation of taking this set. Suddenly, she steadies and goes up 40-love on her serve with a staggering forehand off her shoetops that passes Azarenaka incautious rush to the net. Then she aces her Belarusian foe. If she can break Azarenka now, she?s back in the match. Tall order.
Pool photo by Alastair GrantVictoria Azarenka ran down a shot from Petra Kvitova. Azarenka begins to flutter a bit, slinging backhands long, displaying a tremulo quality to her voice. Okay, I?m grandstanding here, but it means a shaky, trembling quality. Kvitova steadies a bit, winning a game by taking a bit more time on her serve, which can help if your opponent is a bit tremulo, giving him or her more time to think about the awful fate that awaits if they lose.
That said, Azarenka wouldn?t be denied, winning her serve to edge closer to winning the second set by the same score she lost the first.
Did I say a rout? What a difference 90 seconds makes. After the changeover, Azarenka came out swinging, won her serve easily, broke Kvitova?s serve easily, and then jammed Kvitova at the baseline to collect still another game. As they might say in the cosmetic business, the complexion of this match has changed. Not sure who will come out swinging now.
Did I say don?t expect a blowout? Shame on me. Kvitova has gone wild, slamming aces right and left. She takes a 40-love lead, and wins the set by deftly lofting a lob over Azarenka?s head, driving her back to the baseline, then jamming Azarenka into blocking a backhand volley somewhere near Manchester. Now, my thought, and I have one, is that it could be a rout. Azarenka?s shrieks begin to make her sound genuinely alarmed.
Kvitova draws first blood, to use a messy metaphor, breaking Azarenka?s serve and then jamming an insult down her throat (stop me before I sin again) by ramming two aces and winning her own serve at 40-15.
It?s modestly quiet here. The Centre Court crowd isn?t into this match just yet, applauding politely. Kvitova holds a couple of points to go way up in the set. Each time, the crowd hushes. Which makes Azarenka?s shriek seem louder when she erases the advantage with a screaming backhand down the line, pardon the expression.
Soon, there could be crying. Kvitova has begun pulling away.
|First Set Kvitova 2, Azarenka 1
Kvitova, seeded eighth, starts like she?s a bit overwhelmed by the Centre Court stage, flicking a backhand long, dumping a volley into the net, then a forehand long. Chances are she?ll settle down. She?s a lefty, by the way, always considered more difficult to play. It also gives her a lovely wide angle on her serves to the backhand. That?s where she hit an ace to win the first game.
Close your eyes and you can hear Maria Sharapova shrieking. At least that?s the duration of Azarenka?s shrieks. Don?t be fooled, it?s Azarenka, seeded fourth, whose decibel level drew All England Club scrutiny as the tournament unfolded.
Both win their serves first time out, which is a good sign that the nerves have been put aside, at least for now.
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About the Bloggers
John Martin
John Martin teaches national reporting at Columbia University?s Graduate School of Journalism and is a photographer and editor for World Tennis Gazette, an email-only newsletter. He was a national correspondent for ABC News (1975-2002). Martin also played tennis at San Diego State and claims his rating level is 4.5 but admits it was so long ago that the ink has vanished from his certificate. You can contact Martin at worldtennisgazette@yahoo.com.
Geoff Macdonald
Geoff Macdonald is the head coach of women?s tennis at Vanderbilt University. He played college tennis at the University of Virginia and played on the ATP Tour from 1981 to 1984, mainly on the satellite circuit, although he did enjoy a cup of coffee at the 1982 United States Open.
Thomas Lin
Thomas Lin, a senior producer at The Times, is a 4.5-level tennis player who now hits mostly on weekends in Riverside Park.
Colette Lewis
Colette Lewis lives in Kalamazoo, Mich., the home of the U.S.T.A. Boys 16s and 18s National Championships. She remembers seeing Jimmy Connors use his Wilson T2000 to win the 16s championship. Lewis worked on the tournament?s website before starting her blog, zootennis.com, in January of 2005. She covers junior and college tennis, spending nearly 20 weeks a year traveling to tournaments. Lewis also writes regularly for SMASH Magazine and the Tennis Recruiting Network.
Aron Pilhofer
In between matches, Aron Pilhofer is editor of The Times's Interactive News Technology group. He has been playing tennis for more than 20 years, and, given that, really should be better than his 3.5 rating.
David Schimke
Between knee surgeries, David Schimke plays 3.5 tennis and is the editor in chief of Utne Reader, a political and cultural digest based in Minneapolis. He has not taken a set from fellow blogger Aron Pilhofer in nearly a decade.
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