WWW YEC Istanbul RR White Group: [2] Azarenka vs [7] Jankovic?

[ozza]

H2H Victoria Azarenka leads 5-3 (1-0 in 2013).

 

[tossip]

Janky...

 

[kskate2]

JJ will get every ball back and force some errors, so Vika in 3.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Should be a interesting match.....though I will go with Vika in 3 sets

 

[Correspondent Kiu]

JJ in 3

 

[tented]

Should be a interesting match.....though I will go with Vika in 3 sets

Of the three matches tomorrow, I agree that this will be the most compelling. I also think it will be Vika in three.

 

[tossip]

Vika is struggling on serve...

 

[kskate2]

We knew this was going to happen Tossip. She's been struggling for months and getting away w/ most of it.

 

[Correspondent Kiu]

JJ grabs the first set 6-4
JJ has triple break points early in the second set.

 

[kskate2]

JJ consolidates the break Kiu. Up 6-4 3-1. Vika has turned into an UE machine.

 

[Correspondent Kiu]

up 5-3 in the second set, JJ is only 2 points away from pulling the upset.
Vika is having difficulty with more than her serve.

 

[kskate2]

MP for JJ

 

[kskate2]

And she takes it on the first MP. Vika rushes off the court.

 

[tossip]

Janky can play good defence and Vika met her match today...so its a race between Vika Na li and JJ.iF Vika loses to Li she is done...

 

[Sundaymorningguy]

Womp! Womp! Now she must beat Li to stand a shot of making it to the semis. Jankovic and Li put themselves in the running to take their group.

 

[tossip]

Jankovic might end up top of her group ....

 

[tenisplayrla08]

Very surprising to see that Jankovic won this one. Despite the fact that she has 3 wins over Vika already. Because Vika does have more wins than losses against her and because Vika is a much more solid and dominant player than she was back in 2009 when Jankovic beat her last. But, at this point, I think it may be time to consider that Azarenka is reeling from the loss to Serena at the US Open. It's got to be so frustrating. To take a set from Serena in two US Open finals back to back and be unable to win two sets. Especially this year after beating her in Cincy. But maybe she's just not focused or something. That's certainly possible when she knows that she's safe at #2 and can't get to #1 and all the slams are done. I mean, last year she came out after the US Open and won Beijing and maybe something else but she had something to fight for. Despite the fact that Serena had 2 slams and had just beaten her at the US Open, she could still take the year end #1 for herself and keep it from Serena. Who knows what's going on in her head. The point is that it's so odd for her to lose these days to anyone but Serena or Sharapova and maybe Kvitova.

A loss to Li will most likely mean she won't be making the semis. We could see Li and Jankovic in the semis instead. A Kvitova vs Li semis would be pretty great I think. But I was really looking forward to a Vika vs. Kvitova match. Then again, I guess Kvitova has to beat Kerber first to ensure her spot in the semis. Which playing at her best I'd pick Kvitova every time over Kerber. And the last month she's been playing her best. So she should take it. But we all know she can go off sometimes. Of course, I'm assuming she needs to beat Kerber because I'm assuming Serena will beat her. But the way she's been playing, if she can come up with great power and keep the errors low, she can definitely push Serena. She hasn't beaten Serena yet. But she's got the weapons to do it I think if she can control herself.

 

[Correspondent Kiu]

JJ consolidates the break Kiu. Up 6-4 3-1. Vika has turned into an UE machine.

Vika hit 40 of those compared to 30 winners.
JJ played much cleaner, she got 14 winners against 13 Unforced Errors.

JJ knew that at the end, all she had to do was to send the ball back and wait for Vika to lose the match. The match ended that way.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Well done JJ.
Vika to me has been off her game for awhile
Her serve sucks and to me she looks unfit and overweight
Vika needs to address these problems ASAP.....

 

[Sundaymorningguy]

I was going to say Vika definitely could be fitter than she is at the moment, but sooner or later her serve was going to catch up with her. You can trace these issues though to before the US Open though I mean Vika is a great fighter more often than not, so that is what saved her for the most part this year, but her last match with Jankovic in Cincy 23 breaks of serve. It is a testament to the rest of her game that she is number 2 in the world. It is rather sad that the only people you ever hear talk about their serve and wanting it to be a weapon is Serena and Venus. The only person who actually became a better server later in her career that needed it of note was Elena Dementieva, so it can be done ladies. Justine Henin and Clijsters also improved their serving later in their careers, but their's were never horrendous anyway.