Azarenka Wins Miami Open

Azarenka Wins Miami Open - Getty Images

Victoria Azarenka kept up her impressive year to date by beating Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-3 6-2 to win the Miami Open on Saturday.

Azarenka punished her Russian opponent’s weak serve to wrap up the final in 80 minutes, in relentless humidity under a searing sun in the early afternoon encounter on the Key Biscayne hard court.

The 13th seed finished off Kuznetsova with a powerful backhand ground stroke for the 20th title of her career, and her third of the year, after winning previously in Indian Wells and Brisbane.

It is the third Miami title for the 26-year-old from Belarus and the first time she has won the same tournament more than twice. She is also the first woman to win the Indian Wells and Miami tournaments back-to-back since Kim Clijsters in 2005.

“This just gives me even more inspiration and motivation to keep working harder,” Azarenka said in a courtside interview.

“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 seems to be returning to the form that took her to the top of the world rankings four years ago, before she was sidetracked by injury and personal problems.

She beat Serena Williams in the final at Indian Wells two weeks ago, and on Saturday never gave Kuznetsova a chance.

Azarenka pounced on Kuznetsova’s second serve, breaking the Russian five times in the first set alone.

Johanna Konta beaten by Victoria Azarenka in Miami Open

The world No8 also had her serving problems, however. She was broken three times in the first set but settled down in the second to hold throughout.

“It was pretty tough conditions with being so hot,” she said.

“It didn’t seem too windy but it was really difficult to serve because the ball was flying too much. I really took my opportunities, stepped into the net a lot.“

A long week perhaps caught up with Kuznetsova in the final, after she battled through three sets in four of the five matches she won to get to the final, including her fourth-round victory over world No1 Serena Williams.

Kuznetsova was outclassed by Azarenka, whose sights will soon turn to the clay court season and the French Open.

“I think my game suits pretty well for the clay court season,” said Azarenka

“I’ve been in the semis of the French Open. I’m ready to take that second step.”

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Serena Winning Streak Ends in Miami

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Serena Williams’ 20-match winning streak at Key Biscayne ended on Monday with a 6-7, 6-1, 6-2 loss to Svetlana Kuznetsova in the fourth round of the Miami Open.

Williams was bidding for her ninth title in the event and her fourth in a row. But after a grueling first set that lasted nearly an hour, the No1 seed Williams faded on a sweltering afternoon.

This is the first time she hasn’t reached the Key Biscayne quarter-finals since 2000, when she lost in the fourth round to Jennifer Capriati. Williams, 34, hasn’t won a tournament since earning her 69th title at Cincinnati in August.

“I did the best I could,” she said after her defeat. “I can’t win every match. These players come out and play me like they’ve never played before in their lives. I have to be 300% every day.”

The No15 seed Kuznetsova won thanks to her defensive skills, extending points until Williams made a mistake. The Russian finished with only 18 unforced errors to 55 for Williams. In addition, Williams’ serve was uncharacteristically unreliable. She hit 13 aces but also had nine double faults and was broken six times.

Williams said the muggy weather didn’t faze her. “Physically I’m fine,” she said. “I don’t know, I guess I didn’t move today. Maybe that was one of the things that didn’t work out for me.”

Kuznetsova, 30, won Key Biscayne 10 years ago and is into the quarter-finals for the first time since 2009. “I’m too old,” she told the crowd. “I’ve been many times on this court. I love being back here, and I’m really happy with my performance.”

The No2 seed, Agnieszka Radwanska, lost to No. 19 Timea Bacsinszky 2-6, 6-4, 6-2. The defeat was only the fourth in 21 matches this year for Radwanska.

Williams lives 90 minutes from Key Biscayne and has long considered the event her home tournament. But the stadium was two-thirds empty for her match, partly because of weather so uncomfortable some spectators draped towels over their heads seeking refuge from the sweltering sun.

Williams played a flawless tiebreaker, hitting two aces and three other winners. But after she lost serve to fall behind 3-1 in the second set, her play became more flat-footed. At least twice she failed to pursue shots from Kuznetsova.

In the third set Williams tried hitting balls as hard as she could, and some went for winners. But she double-faulted to fall behind 4-1, and Kuznetsova held twice to close out the victory.

There was no smiling by either player as they met at the net to shake hands. Kuznetsova improved to 3-8 against Williams and beat her for the first time since the 2009 French Open quarter-finals.

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Champion Efimova Suspended for Meldonium

Russia's Yuliya Efimova has been temporarily suspended after testing positive for meldonium.

The 23-year-old four-time breaststroke world champion returned a positive result during an out-of-competition test.

The London 2012 bronze medallist could now be facing a life ban having previously failed a drugs test in 2014.

Meldonium was added to the World Anti-Doping Agency's banned list on 1 January 2016.

So far more than 100 athletes in various sports have tested positive for the drug, including Russia's grand slam-winning tennis player Maria Sharapova.

A statement on Efimova's suspension said: "The All-Russian Swimming Federation (ARSF) informs that we received documents from the International Swimming Federation (Fina) which confirm that the sportswoman has been temporarily suspended from competition due to the possibility of breaking anti-doping regulations.

"In order to clarify information concerning the current situation as quickly as possible, ARSF president Vladimir Salnikov will meet with the heads of the Russian swimming team and the Russian Sports Ministry."

US-based Efimova was banned for 16 months by Fina after traces of the anabolic steroid DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone) were found in her system at an out of competition test in Los Angeles in 2013.

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