Badosa wins a match that was matchless

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — It took two and a half years to get tennis back to Indian Wells, and once it returned it seemed determined never to end.

On a Sunday blessed by the weather that makes the California desert so attractive in early autumn, Paula Badosa and Victoria Azarenka played a match that would be attractive any time, any place.

Badosa, a 23-year-old Spaniard, outlasted — and the term is more than a cliché in this instance — Azarenka, 7-6 (5), 6-2, 7-6 (2), to win the BNP Paribas Open.

The final took 3 hours 4 minutes, the longest ladies’ match ever at Indian Wells. And had it been at a Grand Slam, say Wimbledon or the U.S. Open rather than the tournament nicknamed “The Fifth Slam,” it could have been historic.

Commenting for the Tennis Channel, Lindsay Davenport, who did win those two Slams, the U.S. Open and Wimbledon, described the match as one of the best she had seen.

Apropos of nothing on this 86-degree afternoon except the idea that greatness attracts, nine-time Grand Slam winner Monica Seles was part of the crowd that filled a good part of the 16,100-seat main stadium at Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

Held for years in March — it will be back in March 2022, not that far away — the tournament was wiped off the sports map in 2020 because of Covid-19. The tennis people and BNP decided to try a one-off return this October. No Serena Williams, Roger Federer or Rafa Nadal. No Novak Djokovic, a former Indian Wells winner, who chose not to enter. And early on, no Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev, who lost in the first few days.

But the tournament not only survived, it prospered. So the men’s final, in which Cameron Norrie defeated Nikoloz Basilashvili, 3-6. 6-4, 6-1, wasn’t what they call glamour stuff in Hollywood, 150 miles up Interstate 5.

But, ah, the women’s match was brilliant.

Azarenka, 32, is from Belarus, but she lives in southern Cal and twice previously won Indian Wells singles.

While she wasn’t pleased with the result of this match, she was pleased it was held — and that it was so competitive.

As Chris Clarey of the New York Times pointed out, both Azarenka and Badosa were stuck in long quarantines when they went in January to play in the Australian Open.

On Sunday, they remarkably — and deservedly — ended up facing each other in what will turn out to be the final event of the tennis season, an event that came through persistence and hard work by the BNP and Indian Wells staffers.

When someone told Azarenka the tennis Sunday was extraordinary, she said, “I would agree with comparing it to the match of the year. I think the entire match, the quality of tennis was super high level.

“We were both going for our shots, really pushing each other to the max. I think that's what made it super entertaining, that competitive spirit, really fighting for every ball, not giving in anywhere. It's very challenging to maintain that. I think that we both did that really well.”

Badosa, younger, seemed stronger in the last game, not holding anything back. She called the match a roller coaster, the way she would take charge and then lose control.

The majority of fans cheered loudly for Azarenka, but they never held their cheers or applause for Badosa following a big shot.

“I was playing Vika,” said Badosa, using the name by which the players call Azarenka. “She's a great champion. I‘ve admired her since I was a little girl, so that's another thing.

“Yeah, it was amazing. I'm still a little bit in shock about what happened right now. But in that moment, I was super excited and super proud of what I did after three hours fighting on court.”

The BNP people should be no less proud of the fact that the tournament was played.

Azarenka’s still here — very much so

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — That song “I’m Still Here,” from a Sondheim musical, seems so perfect for Victoria Azarenka, who despite everything — including a child custody battle that kept her in courtrooms and off the courts — is very much still here.

Still in the game, while some of her rivals — Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams — are not.

Also, still in the BNP Paribas Open, where Friday she plays Jelena Ostapenko in a semifinal.

The one nicknamed Vika is a lady of substance. She’s earned millions in a career that pushed her to No. 1 not that long ago and included wins in two Australian Opens.

She’s from Belarus but spends so much time in southern California that she owns a home in West Los Angeles. She’s known for her backhand and persistence. And her independence.

It’s not easy — or sometimes not fair — for women sporting stars who are fighting two battles against the clock, wanting to play well virtually forever but also, before it gets too late, wanting to have a family. Or perhaps not wanting to have a family.

Azarenka gave birth to a son, Leo, in December 2016 but then broke up with the father, Billy McKeague, in August 2017. But because Azarenka is not an American citizen and McKeague is, she was prevented from taking the baby with her on the road to play tennis — and most tennis is on the road.

Azarenka was forced to withdraw from from the remaining tournaments that year, explaining in April 2018, “I wouldn't wish that on anybody to go through what I've been going through.”

The Daily Mail in London reported that the only way Azarenka could play in the U.S. Open that year is if “I leave Leo behind and enter in tournaments outside the United States, where most are, or in California, which I'm not willing to do.”

At the beginning of 2018, it was reported Azarenka had won an early round of the U.S. custody proceedings, with an L.A. judge ruling that the case should take place in Belarus, rather than Los Angeles County.

Azarenka may have lost time, but once again across a net she showed she could win matches.

To make things more uncomfortable, tennis — all sports — had to go through quarantines and suspensions during the second half of 2020.

What Azarenka went through surprised many, Victoria herself. She upset Serena in the semifinal of the 2020 U.S. Open before losing to Naomi Osaka in the final. After all the hassles, she was a success again..

Then, at last in 2021, Azarenka was awarded custody of Leo. Mother and son are a happy duo around area swimming pools when Victoria is at leisure in a place she knows well, having won the BNP a few times previously.

Azarenka was asked if getting this far at Indian Wells, however she does against Ostopenko, gives her a different viewpoint of a season that, because of the custody situation, was less than she would want.

“I don't think I'll be looking at this and kind of look back into the season,” she said. “I think the more important is to actually look right now what I'm able to do. Not necessarily look forward, but it's almost like reassurance here.

“The results are coming. That's the measure, right? How else are you going to measure your progress? In tennis, unfortunately, it's all by the results, especially that measure from the outside. For yourself, you can put little goals and try to climb that ladder. In the end of the day, results is going to determine how well you performed, which sometimes can be tricky.”

Victoria Azarenka isn’t going away. She’s still here.

Down to a sport bra and caught up in controversy

By Art Spander

NEW YORK — In 1999, Brandi Chastain scored the winning goal for the U.S. in the women’s World Cup, ripped off her jersey in excitement and, showing a sport bra, became not only a heroine but a cover girl on Time. People cheered.

Two days ago, Alize Cornet changed a shirt that was being worn inside out during a first-round match of the U.S. Open, briefly showing a sport bra, and drew a warning that in turn drew an apology — and drew defenders by the numbers. Some people gasped.

But of course. That’s the history of women’s tennis attire, stitched up with controversy.

There was Gertrude “Gussie” Moran’s lace-edged panties — knickers they’re called in Britain — at Wimbledon in 1949, Karol Fageros’ gold lamé panties at the 1958 French Open that got her banned from Wimbledon a month later, Anne White’s bodysuit at Wimbledon in 1985 and Serena Williams’ black “catsuit,” only days ago forbidden by the French Open.

Now, on a steamy 90-degree day in New York, when even male players were permitted to take a break before a third set, as women previously were allowed, Cornet returns from the locker room to realize she had put her top on incorrectly. So, hey, switch.

Oh gracious, a lady in a sport bra, as we see in gyms, running paths, even on sidewalks. Not a bikini. Not a swimsuit. But exactly what Brandi Chastain was wearing when she fell to the grass at the Rose Bowl in ecstasy.

Chastain did wonders for women’s soccer — only recently she was inducted in the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame, to join Joe Montana, Bill Russell, Joe DiMaggio and so many others. The guess is that Cornet, of France, will give women’s tennis a boost, if only out of curiosity.

Anyone who perhaps never heard of Cornet will Google her name. A negative may turn out to be a positive.

Quickly on Wednesday, the U.S. Tennis Association, which controls the Open, one of the four Grand Slam tournaments each year, sent out a press release stating it regretted the code violation assessed tor Cornet.

“We have clarified the policy,” said the USTA, “to ensure this will not happen moving forward. Fortunately she was only assessed a warning ... Female players, it they choose, may also change their shirts in a more private location close to the court, when available.”

The men have been stripping down for years, pulling off one perspiration-soaked shirt after another and putting on a clean, dry one. Indeed, there are differences between the sexes, but the ladies, on court and off, felt that the whole issue was just another one of those old-boys ideas on which they’ve never had a vote. Or been asked their thoughts.

“If I would say my true feelings, it would be bleeped out, because I think it was ridiculous,” said Victoria Azarenka, twice a U.S. Open finalist.

“It was nothing wrong. Nothing wrong. It wasn’t anything disrespectful. She literally changed her shirt because it was backwards. So I couldn’t believe this was a conversation.”

But it was, harkening back to tennis history. Anything out of the ordinary evolves into a major incident.

“I’m glad they apologized,” said Azarenka, “and I hope this never happens again.”

It will. Truth tell, it’s happening now, with Serena’s one-piece outfit. She will be unable to wear it at the French Open, played in late June. Assuming she enters, when Serena shows up the first question to her will be not about her serve but the attire she won’t display.

Azarenka understands what she doesn’t understand.

“There is always a double standard for men and women,” said Azarenka. “But we need to push those barriers. And as players, as representatives of the WTA Tour, I believe we’re going to do the best we can to make sure that we are the most progressive sport and continue to break those boundaries, because it’s unacceptable. For me, it’s unacceptable.”

By the way, in the match that was the cause, Cornet was beaten by Johanna Larson, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2. So much for the important stuff.

Newsday (N.Y.): Serena Williams goes 3 sets to get past Azarenka

By Art Spander
Special to Newsday

WIMBLEDON, England — In a country of royalty, Serena Williams seems destined again to ascend the throne of ladies tennis. And if things go right, to make history by winning the true Grand Slam, all four major tournaments in a calendar year.

Williams dropped the first set to Victoria Azarenka Tuesday in their Wimbledon quarterfinal, but then, utilizing power unfathomed by other women, rebounded for a 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 victory.

Read the full story here.

Copyright © 2015 Newsday. All rights reserved.

Nerves, wind and at last Serena

By Art Spander

NEW YORK — They battled nerves, wind and the oh-so-brilliant lady across the net. They went from day into night, from advantage to disadvantage. They produced one of the longest and most tense U.S. Open women’s tennis championship matches ever.
  
In the end, as expected — and for the enthralled, hollering capacity crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium, as hoped — it was Serena Williams, surviving both herself and the irrepressible Victoria Azarenka, winning 7-5, 6-7 (6), 6-1.
  
This was one of the best, if not once of the classics. This was a 2-hour 45-minute struggle both against a south wind that swirled viciously around the 24,000-seat bowl and great shots from the opponent.
   
Williams, No. 1 in the rankings and the seedings, seemed more flummoxed by the weather than Azarenka, who is one notch down in both categories, as tennis skirts flapped and serves took flight.
   
But at last, the veteran, the American, Serena, who will be 32 in two weeks, took the American title for a second straight year and a fifth time overall, and joyfully bounced about the court in triumph.
   
Serena seemed well on her way to the championship, her 17th Grand Slam, with a 4-1 lead and up two breaks in the second set. But suddenly her big serves started coming back at her on terrific returns by Azarenka, who was dashing from corner to corner and ripping balls in every unreturnable direction.
     
“Yeah, I think I got a little uptight, which probably wasn't the best thing at that moment,” confided Williams.
    
She also pointed out that her problems were caused in part by Azarenka.
    
“Vika is such a great fighter,” Williams said, using the nickname by which everyone calls the 24-year-old from Belarus.
   
“That’s why she was able to win multiple Grand Slams,” she added, in a bit of exaggeration, Azarenka having taken the Australian Open twice — including this January but no other majors.
   
For Serena, it was her second Slam of 2013, after a win in the French Open. Two days earlier, John McEnroe, commenting for television, called Williams the greatest women’s player ever, and surely this match did nothing to change his viewpoint. Or anyone else’s.
   
Indeed, although she had not lost a set until the final, the reality is that the farther one advances in a tournament the tougher it becomes. And especially in women’s tennis, beyond the top half-dozen players, there aren’t many who are in the class of Serena or Vika.
  
“Well, there's one word,” said Azarenka afterward. “She's a champion, and she knows how to repeat that. She knows what it takes to get there. I know that feeling, too. And when two people who want that feeling so bad meet, it's like a clash. That's what happens out there, those battles.
         
“And in the important moments is who is more brave, who is more consistent, or who takes more risk. And with somebody like Serena, you got to take risk. You can never play safe, because she will do that. She did that today really well.”
  
Just the edge. Serena had it, then Serena lost it, or more accurately Azarenka, who beat Williams a month ago at Cincinnati in three sets, wrenched it away. But not for long.
 
“I started to try to — I wasn't playing very smart tennis then,” Serena said of the second set, “so I just had to relax and not do that again. This was never over until match point.”
    
Technically, yes, although once she regained control by breaking serve in the fourth game of the third set, the result was inevitable.
   
“Vika, you played unbelievable,” said Serena, who at times can be self-centered. “It was an honor to play against you.”  
   
The disappointment welled up in Azarenka when the chance for an upset, very real at the start of the third set, disappeared.
    
“It is a tough loss,” said Azarenka, doing her best to hold back her emotions, “but to be in final against best player, I showed heart.”
    
Then, in front of the microphone that carried her words over the public address system. Azarenka began to cry, trying to hide her tears behind an available towel.
  
“I think it was raising, you know, from the first point the tension, the battle, the determination, it was raising really, you know, kind of like boiling the water or something.
 
“She (Serena) really made it happen. In that particular moment she was tougher today. She was more consistent, and, you know, she deserved to win. I wish I could do something better today. You know, I felt like I had opportunities in the first set, as well. But, I mean, it's okay. It goes that way. I did everything I could."
   
Serena did everything she needed, as usually has been the case the past year. Since a first-round loss in the 2012 French Open. Williams is 98-5 with 14 tournament wins. This year, she is 67-4.
   
“I felt almost disappointed with my year, to be honest,” explained Williams when asked if she needed the win to a validate her domination.
    
“I felt like, yeah, I won the French Open, but I wasn't happy with my performances in the other two slams, and, you know, not even making it to the quarterfinals of one. So I definitely feel a lot better with at least a second Grand Slam under my belt this year."
   
Especially the way the wind blew and Azarenka played.

McEnroe calls Serena “greatest of all time”

By Art Spander

NEW YORK — The tournament isn’t over yet for Serena Williams, or certainly, the woman she’ll again face in the finals of the U.S. Open. The way everyone’s talking, it might as well be.
  
Not that Serena is going to win, because even favorites — and certainly she’s the favorite — lose every now and then.
   
But Serena’s real competition is not the player across the net but the history of the game.
  
The lady Williams is to play in the Sunday final, the one nicknamed Vika, Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, declared without reservation that Serena is the “greatest of all time.”
   
Strong words, which could be interpreted as a setup, but Vika isn’t one to be disingenuous.
   
Besides, the idea is shared by one of tennis’ greats, John McEnroe, who Friday, after Serena routed Li Na, 6-0, 6-3, in one semifinal, said, “I know she doesn’t have the amount of wins of Chris (Evert) or Martina (Navratilova) or Steffi (Graf), but I already think she’s the greatest.”
   
So far for Williams, this Open has been less about success than about verification. The question in any of her six matches hasn’t been whether Serena would win but how easily she would win. Again on a warm, breezy afternoon in Queens, we learned.
   
The afternoon began with Azarenka, the 24-year-old from Belarus, who’s got a wonderful forehand and a no-less impressive sense of humor. Seeded No. 2 — behind Williams, naturally — Azarenka defeated Flavia Pennetta of Italy, 6-4, 6-2.
   
That gave her time first to watch Williams, 31, extend her streak of consecutive game wins to 24, as Serena won the first seven games of the match, and contemplate what might be done to reverse last year’s final. In 2012, Vika, then the top seed, lost to Williams in three sets.
  
Serena has pitched shutouts in five of the 12 sets she played this Open, meaning 6-0 wins in those sets, and not only hasn’t lost a set but has lost only 16 points. The record for a full tournament for fewest points allowed is 19 by Navratilova in 1983.
  
The question is how to get the 31-year-old Williams out of the comfort zone she now occupies, and Azarenka had a ready answer. “You’ve got to fight,” she began. “You’ve got to run. You’ve got to grind, and you’ve got to bite with your teeth for whatever opportunity you have.”
  
That’s a figure of speech, of course, Azarenka not planning to emulate Mike Tyson with her bicuspids.
  
Azarenka has beaten Williams two out of the last three times they met, including a couple of weeks back in Cincinnati, but overall Serena has won 12 of 15 matches between the two. And with Williams overall 66-4 this year, it would be redundant to point out she’s on a roll.
  
Li Na is now 1-9 against Williams after Friday, and she appeared shellshocked for quite a while, finally regaining a bit of respectability.
 
“In the end, finally,” Li said, “I can play tennis.”
  
Not as well as Serena, who with the French Open among her eight tournament titles this year, has won 16 Grand Slams, including four U.S. Opens.
    
The 24,000-seat Arthur Ashe Stadium was maybe only two-thirds full on a languid Friday. Those in the stands had come to see, and to support, Williams, the only American still playing for the tennis championship of America.
  
“It’s great to hear, ‘Go Serena, Go Serena,’” said Williams in a post-match TV interview also carried on the public address system. That brought a few chants of “Go Serena.”
   
“It’s really a pleasure to be here. Older voices, young voices.”
   
Williams, after the first-set blitz, in 30 minutes, surprisingly was down 2 games to 1 and, with Li serving, 40-0 in the fourth game. But Serena rallied, broke serve and regained what little control that had been lost.
 
“It was tough at the end,” said Williams. “Li Na is such a great player. I got a little nervous, but I was able to close it out.”
  
Then after a break, she and older sister Venus played doubles.
  
Azarenka simply went out for dinner.
  
“It’s important to have self-belief and confidence in what you do and just be aware of what’s going on, what’s coming at you,” Azarenka explained about her strategy for Williams.
  
What’s coming at Vika will be some of Serena’s 115-mph serves.
  
“It’s always a new story,” said Azarenka, alluding to last year’s loss to Serena in the final. “I don’t think it’s even going to be close to the same as it was last year.”
   
When you’re about to face the player you’ve labeled the greatest of all time, that’s an interesting observation.

Newsday (N.Y.): Serena Williams reaches 7th Wimbledon final

By Art Spander
Special to Newsday

WIMBLEDON, England -- Venus Williams was in the stands nervously clutching her hands. Younger sister Serena was on Centre Court grabbing a place in a Wimbledon final for a seventh time in 11 years.

"No way," was Serena's response when told of the numbers. "I was working so hard. I really wanted it."

Read the full story here.

Copyright © 2012 Newsday. All rights reserved.

Newsday (N.Y.): Serena faces tough Azarenka in Wimbledon semi

By Art Spander
Special to Newsday

WIMBLEDON, England -- Everyone seems to have a label here. They've decided Serena Williams is the "Warrior Queen,'' and her opponent in this country with an imperial history, Victoria Azarenka, naturally is being called "Queen Victoria.''

Read the full story here.

Copyright © 2012 Newsday. All rights reserved.