Gutsy Azarenka into first major final after beating Clijsters

Victoria Azarenka: Through to the Australian Open final

Victoria Azarenka reached her first Grand Slam final and staked a claim for the No. 1 ranking when she beat defending champion Kim Clijsters 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 in the Australian Open semifinals on Thursday.
The third-seeded Azarenka recovered her composure twice in periods when a resurgent Clijsters seemed to have the upper hand, breaking the veteran Belgian's serve three times in the third set to secure victory in only her second appearance in a major semifinal.

The 22-year-old Belarusian will play either Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova or 2008 Australian Open champion Maria Sharapova in the Saturday night final. Azarenka, Kvitova and Sharapova can all finish the tournament with the No. 1 ranking.

After a strong start due to a consistent serve, Azarenka's serve deserted her in the second set and Clijsters dictated play with her solid groundstrokes and some amazing defense.But Azarenka rallied immediately again, breaking serve. She got triple match point trying to serve out the match and, after a double-fault on her first, she clinched it on a Clijsters' error.


But after getting the momentum back, it was Clijsters who blinked first in the third set, dropping serve in the second game and again in the fourth. She got two of those service games back, including one when she rallied from 40-0 down to win a game to get the score back to 4-3.




Azarenka threw her racket on the court and sank to her knees, bent over with her hands covering her face. Clijsters came around the net to congratulate her.

''I felt like my hand is about 200 kilograms and my body is about 1,000 and everything is shaking, but that feeling when you finally win is such a relief. My God I cannot believe it's over. I just want to cry,'' Azarenka said as she choked back tears, then buried her face in the towel.

''It was just trying to stay in the moment. Kim really took over the second set and I felt there was nothing I could do. I just tried to regroup.''

Clijsters is a popular player in Australia, where she's widely known as ''Aussie Kim.'' The four-time major winner had most of the backing from the crowd on the national holiday in what is likely to be her last Australian Open.

Azarenka held her nerve despite the crowd.

''I guess before you all thought I was a mental case. I was just young and emotional,'' she said in a courtside interview. ''I'm really glad the way I fight, that's the most thing I'm really proud of. I fight for every ball.''

The Sharapova-Kvitova semifinal was next match on Rod Laver Arena, followed by the blockbuster men's semifinal between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.
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Nadal reaches quarterfinals at Australian Open

MELBOURNE, Australia  – His right knee and left ankle taped, Rafael Nadal didn't look to be in any pain as he gave his friend Feliciano Lopez the runaround on Sunday,winning 6-4, 6-4,6-2 to reach the quarterfinals of the Australian Open.

Nadal, who bizarrely hurt his knee while sitting in a chair the day before the tournament began, is one win away from a possible semifinal against old rival Roger Federer after beating his fellow Spaniard for the ninth time in 11 matches.


On a sunny day with the temperature rising to 32C (89F),
both players sat with ice towels around their necks during the changeovers.


Nadal needed treatment from the trainer for a left ankle problem after three games of the first set. By that time, he had already broken serve and he did the same early in the next two sets to maintain control against his "very good friend" Lopez.

"I am fine," Nadal said. "It was a very, very hot day. I think it's positive to keep winning in straight sets."

Federer was up against 19-year-old Australian Bernard Tomic in the first match of the night session later Sunday. The 16-time Grand Slam champion hasn't been beaten by a teenager since 2006, when he lost to Andy Murray at the Cincinnati Masters.

Also Sunday, defending champion Kim Clijsters was to face Li Na in a repeat of the 2011 final. Clijsters beat Li 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 to win her fourth major title a year ago.

Victoria Azarenka was the first player to reach the quarterfinals when she beat Iveta Benesova 6-2, 6-2.

The third-seeded Belarusian is yet to drop a set at the tournament and will next meet eighth-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska, who beat Julia Goerges of Germany 6-1, 6-1.

With the win, 22-year-old Azarenka stayed in the hunt for the No. 1 ranking. Petra Kvitova and Maria Sharapova can also claim the top spot from Caroline Wozniacki.

"I would be a liar if I said I didn't care about it," Azarenka said. "It's in the back of my head and we'll take it day by day, I guess."

Azarenka, like Wozniacki, is aiming for her first Grand Slam title. She has never gone past the quarterfinals at the Australian Open, but goes into her match against Radwanska with a 6-3 winning record. The last of those victories came at the Sydney International tournament, which Azarenka won before coming to Melbourne.

Sunday's win was her ninth straight, but the likes of Serena Williams and Clijsters are still attracting more attention.

"For me, doesn't really matter. I try to focus on myself," Azarenka said. "I think I'm in the best shape physically right now, so it kind of helps other aspects of the game. I feel pretty good out there."

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