Victoria Azarenka rewrites record books with title in Miami

Victoria Azarenka continues to excel in 2016 as she claimed her third title of the season with a 6-3, 6-2 defeat of Svetlana Kuznetsova in the Miami Open final at the Crandon Park Tennis Centre in Florida on Saturday.

The win is very significant as it makes her just the third woman in history to complete the coveted Indian Wells-Miami double, a feat achieved by the legendary Steffi Graf (1994, 1996) and Kim Clijsters (2005) prior to this.

This is Azarenka’s 20th career title and her third crown at Key Biscayne after having conquered Miami in 2009 and 2011. With a stunning 22-1 record this season, the former World No. 1 also returns to the top 5 for the first time since May, 2014 as she keeps up her pursuit of reaching the sport’s highest echelons once again.

In a showdown between two Grand Slam champions, Azarenka broke the 2006 titlist Kuznetsova a total of seven times after overcoming her own jittery serve in the first set. That serve coughed up as many as six double faults but she was otherwise in sublime form, producing a barrage of 23 winners against 18 unforced errors.

In a topsy-turvy opening set, the Belarusian was the first to draw blood as she broke Kuznetsova and then held for a 2-0 lead. That hold would eventually turn out to be the only hold in the entire set from either of the two players as seven consecutive breaks followed.

Even though the two-time Australian Open champion struggled to serve into the high sun, her return game was on point. That eventually paved the way for the 26-year-old to wrap up the opening game 6-3.

Both the players bucked the trend in the second set as each held serve in the first two games. That is where Azarenka raised her game several notches higher. With more focus, she continued to take the ball early and move forward that ultimately won her 9 out of 11 points at the net.

Her dazzling on-court movement came alive again as she broke the Russian to surge to 3-1 and then 4-2. Serving problems once again cropped up for the Belarusian in the seventh game but she managed to weather the storm, saving a plethora of break points to inch ahead 5-2.

The intense returns had their final word as Azarenka’s smacking backhand down-the-line winner on match point sealed her the coveted ‘Sunshine Double’.

“This just gives me even more inspiration and motivation to keep working harder,” the World No. 8 Azarenka said after the triumph.

“I’m very happy that all the work that I’ve been putting in is paying off. It’s such a great opportunity to play the whole month so consistent.”

Azarenka during a trophy photo shoot at the Miami Beach

The most in-form WTA player of the season would now turn her attention to one of her traditionally weaker surfaces as the Tour moves on to clay. She has been a former semi-finalist at the French Open but with the kind of devastating form that she is in, she would be keen to improve that record.