US Open 2020: Azarenka all set for face-off against Williams

Victoria Azarenka overpowered Elise Mertens with a confident 6-1, 6-0 victory on Wednesday, advancing into the semis for a faceoff against Serena Williams. She fired 21 winners against the 16^th seed and broke all of her six service games in an hour and thirteen minutes.

Azarenka destroys Mertens

The match proved to be a breakthrough for Azarenka who shines through her comeback. With an already rock stiff first set, she sealed the second advantageously as the Belgian dumped backhand into the net on match point. The two-time Grand Slam Champion is all set for the semifinals ceasing her wait since 2013.

Post winning the trophy at the Western and Southern Open, Azarenka has stacked up a 10-match winning streak in New York and has dropped just one set on her way to the semis. She bossed over the rallies, continuing with her vehement upturn with thriving groundstrokes. She fire-powered over Mertens and broke to take a 2-0 lead, and eventually grinded ahead with a 3-1. She edged her way to another crucial service hold at 4-1. From here, the match was all hers as she fired off the next eight games in a row.

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Azarenka said post match, “That was pretty good.”

”I felt that I made the court really big for her today, which worked really well. I felt that I really executed my plan. I was going to try to use my speed, use my power of the ball so I tried to do some variation where I would get her out of balance,” she added.

Up next for her, is third seed Serena Williams, who has an 18-4 career edge against Azarenka and 23 major championships to Azarenka’s 2. The match will be their 23rd career meeting and a repetition of the 2012 and 2013 US Open finals, where the American superstar squashed the two-time finalist, bagging two Grand Slam crowns consecutively.

Victoria Azarenka will now play Serena Williams in the semifinals of US Open 2020.

Also Read: US Open 2020: Serena overcomes tough battle against Pironkova to reach the 39th slam semis