Tennis News: Belarusian Victoria Azarenka kicked off the Cincinnati Open (Western & Southern Open) with a convincing 6-2, 6-3 victory over 15th seed Donna Vekic, a win that was her first win of the 2020 season.
Victoria Azarenka in 2013 Cincinnati Open champion lost her opener in Acapulco to Tamara Zidansek and she also lost in the first round of the Lexington Open to Venus Williams. However, starting his third tournament of the 2020 season, he performed convincingly for 71 minutes to claim victory over world number 24, Vekic.
The win was Azarenka’s best ever, given the rankings of the player she has beaten since last season’s Cincinnati Open when she beat world number 12 at the time, Belinda Bencic. In addition, this is also Azarenka’s first win in a finish-to-finish over the top 30 since last May in Rome when she beat double-time Roma champion Elina Svitolina.
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“I am very happy to win the match because I haven’t played much, but being able to finish matches and stay strong throughout the match is very important for me,” said Azarenka.
“I didn’t really think about Lexington today (22/08) because It was my first tournament since the pandemic and you know, the game didn’t end my way, but I feel like I’m finally starting to get my rhythm. So Today I started from a point where I was really training, tried it, and started to do better.”
“When I fought Venus, I felt unlucky. But in that match I was able to find something I had to work on, which is certainly a positive thing. Today I really showed what I train, can apply it to match situations, and I want to continue to perform like that.”
In the second half, Azarenka will face the host, Sloane Stephens or French national Caroline Garcia.
Some time earlier, Azarenka mentioned that he had lost motivation during the pandemic and the suspension of tennis took place.
“I miss the competition. I don’t know if I have a new appreciation for tennis, “Azarenka told Tennis.com.
“I feel like my love for tennis has never really disappeared. Motivation is something that can go up and down and it can drop dramatically.”
