2013 Victoria Azarenka tennis season

Yearly summary

Australian Open series

Azarenka began her 2013 season as the top seed at the 2013 Brisbane International, her first participation at the event since winning in 2009. She defeated German Sabine Lisicki in the second round after receiving a bye in the first round. This was followed up with a crushing two set victory over Ksenia Pervak in the quarter-finals, to maintain her record of not dropping a set in the tournament thus far. Azarenka was later forced to withdraw from her scheduled semi-final against Serena Williams due to a toe injury.

Her next tournament was the defence of her Australian Open title. Azarenka won her first six matches dropping only one set en route (against Jamie Hampton in the third round), to reach the final for the second consecutive year, where she faced Li Na of China. Azarenka was able to successfully defend her title with a three set victory in the final; thus, she became the first woman since Serena Williams in 2009–10 to successfully defend her Australian Open title. With the victory, she also became only the fifth active player (after Serena and Venus Williams, Maria Sharapova and Svetlana Kuznetsova) to hold two or more Grand Slam singles titles.

Middle East series

As the defending champion in Qatar, Azarenka once again reached the championship match, where she met Serena Williams, who replaced her as World No. 1 upon reaching the semi-finals (Williams did not play in Doha last year). After receiving a bye in the first round, she defeated Romina Oprandi, Christina McHale (without losing a game), Sara Errani and Agnieszka Radwańska to set up the final meeting against Williams. Azarenka scored just her second career victory over Williams, winning in the championship match in three sets and successfully defending her title.

Azarenka missed the Dubai Tennis Championships for the second year in a row, withdrawing from the tournament due to a foot injury she sustained in Doha.

American hard court season

Azarenka's first tournament of the American hard court season was the defense of her Indian Wells title. As the top seed in the absence of Serena Williams, Azarenka got a first round bye, following which she defeated Daniela Hantuchová, Kirsten Flipkens (in three sets) and Urszula Radwańska, before withdrawing from the tournament prior to her quarter-final match against eventual runner-up Caroline Wozniacki due to an ankle injury. Her failure to defend her points saw her world ranking drop to No. 3 at the end of this tournament.

The ankle injury she suffered at Indian Wells forced her out of the Miami tournament the following week.

Clay court season

Azarenka decided to skip the Stuttgart event, to allow for recovery from her ankle injury. Her next tournament was the Mutua Madrid Open, where she was a finalist last year. She defeated recent Portugal Open champion Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in two tiebreak sets, in her first match since Indian Wells, before being upset in the second round by World No. 24 Ekaterina Makarova in three sets; thus losing her first match this season after eighteen matches undefeated.

Her next tournament was Rome. After receiving a first round bye, she defeated Julia Görges, Ayumi Morita (who retired in the second set), Samantha Stosur and Sara Errani to reach the final, where she was defeated by Serena Williams in straight sets.

Azarenka's next tournament was the French Open. She defeated Elena Vesnina, Annika Beck, Alizé Cornet, 2010 champion Francesca Schiavone and former doubles partner Maria Kirilenko to reach her first French Open semi-final, however, she was defeated there by 2012 champion Maria Sharapova in three sets.

Grass court season

In the first round of the 2013 Wimbledon Championships she defeated Maria João Koehler in straight sets, but suffered a knee injury early in the second set. This injury ultimately forced her to withdraw from the Championships before her second round match against Flavia Pennetta. Her withdrawal was among seven big-name casualties on the tournament's third day, which has also led to questions being raised about the surface of the grass. Her withdrawal also ended a streak of four consecutive Grand Slam semi-finals.

US Open series

Following her injury-enforced early exit from Wimbledon, Azarenka returned to action at the 2013 Southern California Open, where she was the top seed. After receiving a first round bye, she defeated Francesca Schiavone, Urszula Radwańska and Ana Ivanovic (the latter in three sets) before losing to Samantha Stosur in straight sets in the championship match. The loss to Stosur marked her first loss against her, after previously winning their first eight encounters.

Azarenka was later forced to withdraw from the Rogers Cup due to a back injury she suffered in the championship match in Carlsbad.

Seeded second at Cincinnati, Azarenka received a first round bye, following which she won her first match at the tournament since 2009, when she defeated local hope Vania King in the second round. That was then followed by wins over Magdaléna Rybáriková, Caroline Wozniacki (her first victory against her since 2009) and Jelena Janković, en route to reaching her fifth final of the year, where she defeated Serena Williams in a thrilling championship match to pick up her third title for the year.

At the US Open, where Azarenka was seeded second, she successfully reached the final for the second consecutive year, only dropping two sets en route. However, she lost in the final to Serena Williams in three sets. She was the only player to win a set against Williams over the last two years.

Asian hard court season

Following the US Open, Azarenka began her Asian swing at the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, where she was the top seed. However, after receiving a first round bye, she lost in the second round to former number one and seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams in straight sets.

Azarenka's next tournament was the China Open, where she was the defending champion. She lost in the first round to Andrea Petkovic in three sets, delivering 15 double faults and committing 44 unforced errors in the process.

WTA Tour Championships

Following Azarenka's run to the US Open final, she qualified for the WTA Tour Championships for the fifth consecutive year. She was placed in the White Group along with Li Na, Sara Errani and Jelena Janković. She started off with a tight straight-sets victory over Errani, but then fell to Janković and Li in her remaining matches, thus failing to reach the semi-finals for the first time since 2010 and spelling an end to her season.

The defeat to Li marked Azarenka's fifth loss in her past six matches, thus making for a poor end to her 2013 season. She ended the year ranked world number two, behind Serena Williams.

All matches

Singles matches

Tournament schedule

Singles schedule

Victoria Azarenka's 2013 singles tournament schedule is as follows:

Yearly Records

Head-to-head match-ups

Bold indicates that the player was in the Top 10, italics denotes that the player was in the Top 20 (at the time of the match being played). This list is ordered by number of wins to number of losses in chronological order played.

• ITA Sara Errani 3–0
• FRA Alizé Cornet 2–0
• SVK Daniela Hantuchová 2–0
• SRB Ana Ivanovic 2–0
• POL Urszula Radwańska 2–0
• ITA Francesca Schiavone 2–0
• RUS Elena Vesnina 2–0
• USA Serena Williams 2–2
• SRB Jelena Janković 1–1
• CHN Li Na 1–1
• GER Annika Beck 1–0
• GRE Eleni Daniilidou 1–0
• BEL Kirsten Flipkens 1–0
• GER Julia Görges 1–0
• USA Jamie Hampton 1–0
• USA Vania King 1–0
• RUS Maria Kirilenko 1–0
• POR Maria João Koehler 1–0
• RUS Svetlana Kuznetsova 1–0
• GER Sabine Lisicki 1–0
• USA Christina McHale 1–0
• JPN Ayumi Morita 1–0
• ROU Monica Niculescu 1–0
• SUI Romina Oprandi 1–0
• RUS Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 1–0
• ITA Flavia Pennetta 1–0
• KAZ Ksenia Pervak 1–0
• GER Dinah Pfizenmaier 1–0
• POL Agnieszka Radwańska 1–0
• SVK Magdaléna Rybáriková 1–0
• USA Sloane Stephens 1–0
• DEN Caroline Wozniacki 1–0
• CAN Aleksandra Wozniak 1–0
• AUS Samantha Stosur 1–1
• RUS Ekaterina Makarova 0–1
• GER Andrea Petkovic 0–1
• RUS Maria Sharapova 0–1
• USA Venus Williams 0–1

Singles

Singles: 6 (3–3)

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Earnings

Figures in United States dollars (USD) unless noted.

Exhibition matches

Victoria Azarenka took part in the annual BNP Paribas Showdown, where she faced Serena Williams in a rematch of their 2012 US Open final. Azarenka lost the exhibition match in straight sets. At the end of the year Azarenka scored another victory on Williams, in an exhibition in Thailand. She won in straight sets.

References

References

1. [http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-01-02/azarenka-starts-2013-in-style/4450820?section=sport Azarenka starts 2013 in style – ABC Grandstand Sport – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)]
2. [http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-01-03/another-top-seed-falls-in-brisbane/4451784?section=sport Azarenka cruises into semis in Brisbane – ABC Grandstand Sport – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)]
3. [http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-01-04/azarenka-out-of-brisbane-international/4453310?section=sport Azarenka scratched from Brisbane International – ABC Grandstand Sport – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)]
4. [http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-01-24/azarenka-plays-through-injuries-to-reach-final/4483052?section=sport Azarenka plays through injuries to reach final – ABC Grandstand Sport – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)]
5. [http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-01-26/azarenka-defends-australian-open-title/4485954?section=sport Azarenka defends Australian Open title – ABC Grandstand Sport – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)]
6. [https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2013/jan/27/victoria-azarenka-australian-open-victory Victoria Azarenka promises to learn from Australian Open victory. Sport. The Guardian]
7. [http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-02-16/battling-serena-becomes-oldest-world-number-one/4522728?section=sport Battling Serena becomes oldest world number one – ABC Grandstand Sport – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)]
8. [http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-02-18/azarenka-topples-serena-to-win-in-doha/4524504?section=sport Azarenka topples Serena to win in Doha – ABC Grandstand Sport – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)]
9. [http://wtafans.blogspot.com.au/2013/02/azarenka-withdraws-from-dubai.html WTA Fans: Azarenka withdraws from Dubai]
10. [https://leaderpost.com/sports/Ekaterina+Makarova+stuns+Victoria+Azarenka+sets+Madrid+Open/8354322/story.html Azarenka loses temper and match in Madrid Open, Nadal defends well to reach 3rd round]{{dead link. (September 2016)
11. [http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-05-18/stosur-djokovic-crash-out-of-rome-masters/4697848?section=sport Stosur, Djokovic crash out of Rome Masters – ABC Grandstand Sport – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)]
12. [http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-05-19/azarenka-sets-up-williams-final-in-rome/4698532?section=sport Azarenka sets up Williams final in Rome – ABC Grandstand Sport – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)]
13. [http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-05-20/nadal-serena-triumph-in-rome/4699350?section=sport Nadal, Serena triumph in Rome – ABC Grandstand Sport – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)]
14. (26 June 2013). "Victoria Azarenka pulls out through injury". [[BBC Sport]].
15. [https://edition.cnn.com/2013/06/26/sport/tennis/wimbledon-victoria-azarenka-williams-sharapova/?hpt=hp_c4 Azarenka goes on attack after seven forced out of Wimbledon with injury], CNN.com
16. [http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-08-05/stosur-breaks-through-to-win-in-california/4864662?section=sport Sam Stosur breaks through to win the WTA Southern Californian Open from Victoria Azarenka], ''ABC Grandstand Sport (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)'', 5 August 2013
17. [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-08-05/victoria-azarenka-withdraws-from-toronto-tennis-with-back-injury.html Victoria Azarenka Withdraws From Toronto Tennis With Back Injury], ''Bloomberg'', 5 August 2013
18. [http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-08-19/victoria-azarenka-wins-thrilling-final-against-serena-williams/4895848?section=sport Victoria Azarenka wins thrilling Cincinnati final against Serena Williams], ''ABC Grandstand Sport (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)'', 19 August 2013
19. [http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-09-09/williams-wins-us-open-final-with-three-set-triumph-over-azarenka/4944982?section=sport Serena Williams wins US Open final with three-set triumph over Victoria Azarenka], ''ABC Grandstand Sport (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)'', 9 September 2013
20. [http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-09-25/venus-topples-azarenka-stosur-through-to-last-16/4979192?section=sport Venus Williams, Samantha Stosur through to last 16 at Pan Pacific Open], ''ABC Grandstand Sport (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)'', 25 September 2013
21. [http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-10-01/azarenka-undone-by-double-faults-and-petkovic/4990646?section=sport Victoria Azarenka knocked out of China Open in first round by Germany's Andrea Petkovic], ''ABC Grandstand Sport (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)'', 1 October 2013
22. [http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-10-26/li-na-defeats-victoria-azarenka-to-qualify-for-wta-championship/5047658?section=sport Li Na defeats Victoria Azarenka to qualify for WTA Championships semi-finals], ''ABC Grandstand Sport (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)'', 26 October 2013
23. "Indian Wells: Azarenka, Stosur pull out due to injuries {{!}} Tennis – News {{!}} NDTVSports.com".
24. [https://sports.yahoo.com/news/azarenka-withdraws-sony-ankle-injury-154441856--ten.html Azarenka withdraws at Sony with ankle injury – Yahoo! Sports] {{webarchive. link. (March 25, 2013)
25. [http://www.tennisnow.com/News/Featured-News/Azarenka-Looking-Forward-to-BNP-Paribas-Showdown.aspx Azarenka Looking Forward to BNP Paribas Showdown – Tennis Now]
26. [https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/tennis/2013/03/04/serena-williams-victoria-azarenka-rafael-nadal-juan-martin-del-potro-bnp-paribas-showdown/1963695/ Garden party: Serena tops Azarenka in showdown]