Found January 24, 2013 on Larry Brown Sports: Yardbarker Blogger Network
2010_australian_open_4734
Victoria Azarenka beat Sloane Stephens in the semifinals of the Australian Open on Thursday in Melbourne, but she used some highly questionable tactics in the process. Azarenka blew five match points while she was serving up 5-3 in the second set against Stephens. During the side change, Azarenka called the trainer and doctor over and pointed at her chest a few times. Not only was she treated, but she even left the court and didn’t return until several minutes later. Stephens, who had just broken serve and had some momentum, was forced to sit and wait until Azarenka was ready to continue. Stephens was wearing Azarenka down, fought off five match points, and outlasted Azarenka in a game that took over 12 minutes. But Azarenaka’s timeout allowed her to recover and refocus, and she broke Stephens to win the match 6-1, 6-4. When asked after the match about her medical problems, Azarenka said she took the break because she was overcome by nerves and nearly had a panic attack. “I almos...
THE BACKYARD
BEST OF MAXIM
AROUND THE WEB
RELATED ARTICLES

Azarenka pulls cheap trick in semi win

Technically, choking is only an injury, or medical emergency, if something is stuck in your throat. So the No. 1 women's tennis player, Victoria Azarenka, on the verge of choking away her match Thursday, resorted to a cheap trick to beat American teen Sloane Stephens in the Australian Open semifinals. Azarenka faked an injury, and walked off the court for 10 minutes for treatment...

Victoria Azarenka’s boyfriend is Redfoo of LMFAO

Victoria Azarenka is the No. 1 women’s tennis player in the world, and she is dating LMFAO DJ/singer Redfoo. The two appear to have been dating since around September, which is when Redfoo was spotted cheering her on at the US Open. Since then, he has traveled to watch her play in other tournaments, including the Australian Open: That was Redfoo aka Stefan Kendal Gordy watching...

Victoria Azarenka vs Li Na in final in Australia

Victoria Azarenka will have 48 hours to calm her nerves, rest her body and move past a center-court controversy before she returns to defend her Australian Open title. Her opponent is an emotionally and physically fresher Li Na, the 2011 French Open champion. Both women used the word ''hungry'' to describe how much they want to win their second Grand Slam title...

Azarenka repeats as Aussie champ

Victoria Azarenka overcome an often hostile crowd to win back-to-back Australian Open titles, beating Li Na 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 in a dramatic final on Saturday that contained a break for fireworks, two medical timeouts and a nasty fall to the court by Li. The Chinese star first tumbled to the court after twisting her left ankle, and had it taped after falling in the fifth game of the...

Azarenka Pulls Injury Time Out To Beat Stephens

((HT: ESPN)) A lot of people are referring to it as gamemanship- others are calling it flat out fakery... But Victoria Azarenka used an injury timeout to stop Sloane Stephens' momentum in their semi-final match at the Australian Open. Up 5-3 in the second, Azarenka served for the match and had five match points- losing them all. She called for a doctor, as rules allow...

Sloane Stephens Loses After Questionable Medical Timeout by Victoria Azarenka

MELBOURNE, Australia — Victoria Azarenka had to endure some anxious moments before and after her win over American teenager Sloane Stephens. Li Na wasn’t flustered at all in an easy victory over No. 2-ranked Maria Sharapova. The result is that Li will play for the Australian Open title against Azarenka, who ended Stephens’ unexpected run to the semifinals that included a quarterfinal...

“The Choke of the Year:” Victoria Azarenka Behind The Mic

Victoria Azarenka takes a medical timeout. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Barring a toe injury that kept her from finishing a warm-up event in Brisbane, Victoria Azarenka has not lost a match all year. There have been a few tense moments in her matches in Australia, most notably when she fell behind a break to American Jamie Hampton in the third, and most recently when...

Stephens' dream run comes to an end

For a moment it seemed that Sloane Stephens was heading for a replay of her previous match -- losing the first set, seeing her opponent pull up at the start of the second with some sort of injury and then ... But she could not quite reproduce the full scenario of her upset against Serena Williams. Victoria Azarenka, playing like the world No. 1 for most of the match until, in her...

Victoria Azarenka’s Sticky Situation; Li Na Impresses — The Friday Five

By Maud Watson Just a Match Victoria Azarenka Defending champion Victoria Azarenka has once again reached the Aussie Open final, but unfortunately for her, that run is tainted by controversy thanks to a very questionable medical timeout taken by the Belarusian in her semifinal clash with Sloane Stephens. Odds were Azarenka was still going to win that match whether she did it in two...

Live Blog: Australian Open Women’s Final, Victoria Azarenka vs. Li Na

This was Sydney last year. What will Melbourne be this year?   Follow for updates from the women’s final as the match unfolds.  Victoria Azarenka seeks to defend her title and her #1 ranking, but Li Na looks for a third straight victory over a top-four opponent. Azarenka 1*-0:  Having claimed that she would silence her nerves for her second final here, Li suggests otherwise...

Controversial Azarenka Advances into Final Over Stephens

By Jaclyn Stacey (January 24, 2013) MELBOURNE PARK, Australia – Victoria Azarenka halted the absorbing run of young American Sloane Stephens in the semifinals of the Australian Open on Thursday, defeating her 6-1, 6-4 in one hour and 41 minutes in the notorious Melbourne heat.   Stephens had been riding on a high after shocking the tennis world on Wednesday by defeating 15-time...

Defending champ Azarenka in semis

Defending champion Victoria Azarenka has advanced to the Australian Open semifinals with a 7-5, 6-1 win over former two-time Grand Slam winner Svetlana Kuznetsova.

Azarenka Continues Title Defense, Advances to Semifinals at Australian Open

By Jaclyn Stacey (January 23, 2013) MELBOURNE PARK, Australia – World No. 1  Victoria Azarenka kept her title defense on track on Wednesday at Melbourne Park, progressing to the semifinals of the Australian Open with a 7-5 6-1 win over Svetlana Kuznetsova.   It was an enthralling encounter between the world No. 1 and the two-time grand slam champion as they went toe for toe in...

A Final No One Expected: Previewing Li vs. Azarenka

The Final of the 2013 Australian Open was supposed to be a grand showdown between Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams. After Williams was stunned by 19 year-old American Sloane Stephens in the quarterfinals, most people assumed the Final would be a re-match between Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka. Those two women met in the Australian Open Final last year, with Azarenka winning in...
THE TENNIS HOT 40
Today's Best Stuff
For Bloggers

Join the Yardbarker Network for more promotion, traffic, and money.

Company Info
Help
What is Yardbarker?

Yardbarker is the largest network of sports blogs and pro athlete blogs on the web. This site is the hub of the Yardbarker Network, where our editors and algorithms curate the best sports content from our network and beyond.