Serena Williams wins U.S. Open against Azarenka

Serena Williams, who turns 32 on Sept. 26, raised her Grand Slam singles title count to 17, the sixth-most in history and one shy of Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert. Williams collected a $3.6 million prize, including a $1 million bonus for producing the best results during the North American summer hard-court circuit leading up to the U.S. Open.

Helped by nine aces, one at 126 mph, Williams improved to 67-4 with a career-best nine titles in 2013. Since a first-round exit at the 2012 French Open, Williams is 98-5 with 14 titles, winning four of the past six Grand Slam tournaments.

source Associated Press

Azarenka clinches Cincinnati title, shocks Serena Williams

CINCINNATI, Ohio — Victoria Azarenka toppled world No. 1 Serena Williams 2-6, 6-2, 7-6 (8/6) to claim the Cincinnati WTA title and establish herself as a contender for the US Open.

The two-and-a-half-hour epic featured multiple momentum shifts after Azarenka, the second seed from Belarus, began the afternoon with two double faults to lose the opening set in under 30 minutes.

She managed to steady herself and held on to beat the top-seeded Williams for only the third time in 15 matches.

It was her second victory over the American this year, after a triumph in the final at Doha.

“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,” said Azarenka who earned her 17th career title and first in Cincinnati. “It was a tough match and we both fought really hard. It was an incredible week for me.

“I’m feeling very good. Obviously, it’s a big win. It was a great match. I’m really, really pleased with the way I pulled it out. It was a great battle.”

Azarenka had played sporadically over the past months due to injuries suffered at both Wimbledon and this month in California. The Belarussian was competing in only her 10th event of an injury-hit season.

“I’m really excited to be back playing,” said the former world No. 1. “The last month was really tough.”

Azarenka lost a second set in which Williams saved eight break points in the sixth game. With the sets level, the third went to a decider as the pair traded four breaks in five games.

Williams double-faulted for a match point in the tiebreaker, but Azarenka gave it back with an error. Azarenka then shipped over a winner for a second winning chance and followed through for the win a point later.

Williams had been trying for two major hard-court titles in a row after winning Montreal last weekend.

“She played really aggressive in the last two sets, which really changed momentum,” said Williams.

“She’s a great player. There’s a reason why she’s winning Grand Slams and doing so well. I have tough matches, particularly against her,” Williams said.

“We go against each other really tough. It’s a good rivalry. I’m number one, she’s number two. So we have that rivalry which consists of meeting in the final, which makes it even more so exciting.”

Between them, Williams and Azarenka have claimed five of the last seven Grand Slam singles titles dating to the 2012 Australian Open.

Williams beat her rival in the US Open final a year ago. — AFP

Sharapova cruises through as Azarenka withdraws and Robson loses

Maria Sharapova overwhelmed Canadian Eugenie Bouchard and didn't waste any time in a 6-2, 6-0 second-round victory in the Miami ATP Masters and WTA tournament.

Sharapova, seeded third even though her triumph at Indian Wells last weekend saw her jump from third to second in the world rankings, needed less than an hour to subdue the 19-year-old wild card.

Even a brief power outage that halted the match as the floodlights went out barely slowed her.

"It was a bigger surprise that it was all around the outer courts as well, not just the stadium," she said of the outage that plunged the court into darkness.

In the end however, it was just a small hurdle on a day when a three-hour rain delay had matches backing up.

"I was just trying to find a quiet corner where I could just rest and just wait it out," Sharapova said of her approach to the rain delay.

"I have been on the tour for many years and I have been part of a few delays ... you have to get out and just be ready, do a quick warmup, and be ready for the match."

Sharapova next faces 29th seed Russian Elena Vesnina, a 6-4, 6-2 winner over Croatian Donna Vekic.

Victoria Azarenka, the Australian Open champion who is seeded second, although she's dropped to No. 3 in the world rankings this week, withdrew before her scheduled second-round match against US wild card Madison Keys with a right ankle injury.

Azarenka's withdrawal proved an unexpected bonus for American teenager Lauren Davis, who failed to qualify for the tournament.

She was given a 'lucky loser' pass into the event when Azarenka pulled out then saved three match points in defeating Madison Keys 6-1 5-7 7-6.

Britain's Laura Robson ranked a career-high of 43 in the world despite a 2013 win-loss record of 4-6 prior to her match against Cornet, dropped to a 5-7 7-5 6-1 defeat.

Robson, who won her first match since reaching the Australian Open third round in January in overcoming Camila Giorgi in the opening round in Florida, fell apart in the decider as the Frenchwoman breezed to victory.

Sixth seed Angelique Kerber reached the third round with a 6-7(5) 6-3 6-2 win over Francesca Schiavone.

Having edged a tight first-set tiebreak, the veteran Italian then struggled on serve - with the German left-hander having little trouble in coasting through.

She will next play 28th seed Sorana Cirstea after the Romanian beat Silvia Soler Espinosa of Spain 2-6 7-5 6-2.

Italian 15th seed Roberta Vinci lost an opening tie-breaker to American Christina McHale 7-2 but won the last two sets to win through 6-7(2) 6-1 6-3 in over two-and-a-half hours.

The 30-year-old three-times Grand Slam doubles champion will face Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro in the third round after the 20th seed beat Jamie Hampton of the USA in another three-setter.

Suarez Navarro was broken late in the first set but did likewise in the second before taking a final-set tie-break 7-3, triumphing 5-7 7-5 7-6(3) in two hours and 43 minutes.

Svetlana Kuznetsova won an all-Russian clash by ousting 18th seed Ekaterina Makarova 6-4 6-4 to set up a third-round match with Ana Ivanovic, who beat Urszula Radwanska 6-2 6-1.

Fourteenth seed Maria Kirilenko continued her good recent form with a 6-1 6-4 win over Bethanie Mattek-Sands while Jelena Jankovic, the 22nd seed, progressed 6-3 7-5 past Victoria Duval.

WTA Miami second-round results:

8-Sara Errani (Italy) beat Daniela Hantuchova (Slovakia) 6-3 6-1

22-Jelena Jankovic (Serbia) beat Victoria Duval (U.S.) 6-3 7-5

12-Ana Ivanovic (Serbia) beat Urszula Radwanska (Poland) 6-2 6-1

32-Alize Cornet (France) beat Laura Robson (Britain) 5-7 7-5 6-1

3-Maria Sharapova (Russia) beat Eugenie Bouchard (Canada) 6-2 6-0

14-Maria Kirilenko (Russia) beat Bethanie Mattek-Sands (U.S.) 6-1 6-4

Simona Halep (Romania) beat 26-Tamira Paszek (Austria) 6-1 6-7(4) 7-5

11-Nadia Petrova (Russia) beat Zheng Jie (China) 6-3 6-1

28-Sorana Cirstea (Romania) beat Silvia Soler Espinosa (Spain) 2-6 7-5 6-2

6-Angelique Kerber (Germany) beat Francesca Schiavone (Italy) 6-7(5) 6-3 6-2

21-Klara Zakopalova (Czech Republic) beat Anabel Medina Garrigues (Spain) 6-3 7-6(3)

20-Carla Suarez Navarro (Spain) beat Jamie Hampton (U.S.) 5-7 7-5 7-6(3)

Lauren Davis (U.S.) beat Madison Keys (U.S.) 6-1 5-7 7-6(7)

15-Roberta Vinci (Italy) beat Christina Mchale (U.S.) 6-7(2) 6-1 6-3

Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia) beat 18-Ekaterina Makarova (Russia) 6-4 6-4

29-Elena Vesnina (Russia) beat Donna Vekic (Croatia) 6-4 6-2

Azarenka win Generali Ladies defeated Goerges

Top-ranked Victoria Azarenka of Belarus won her sixth WTA title of the season Sunday by beating Julia Goerges 6-3, 6-4 at the Generali Ladies tennis tournament in Linz, Austria, Sunday, Oct. 14, 2012.

source yahoo sports (AP Photo/Kerstin Joensson) 

Azarenka, Djokovic bag titles at China Open

BEIJING - Men's Tennis' Top-seeded Novak Djokovic defeated third-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France 7-6 (4), 6-2 in the final Sunday.

 In women's, top-seeded Belarus' Victoria Azarenka won her fifth title of the year by dominating second-seeded Maria Sharapova 6-3, 6-1. Victoria Azarenka also beat Sharapova at the Australian Open and Indian Wells.

Azarenka defeated Cornet 6-1, 6-0 advances at China Open

BEIJING - Top-seeded Victoria Azarenka and No. 2 Maria Sharapova beat their opponents and both advanced to the second round of the China Open on Monday.

Azarenka convincingly beat Alize Cornet of France 6-1, 6-0, while Sharapova struggled but still pull through against Simona Halep of Romania 7-5, 7-5.

Azarenka is hoping to rebound from last week in Tokyo, where she withdrew after feeling dizzy in the third round. Azarenka has won four times this year, including the Australian Open. Sharapova won her first Grand Slam title in four years at the French Open.

Source: yahoo sports (AP Photo/Andy Wong)