Djoko spoils the British Party; Azarenka makes it 6 in Linz

Picture from Ubitennis.com

It needed probably the most amazing Djokovic of the season to beat Andy Murray and so it was in Shanghai's final, probably the best final from this year's Master 1000.
The first set was played below the expectations with both players serving avaragely bad, but in the end it was Murray to find the right pace first and take the first set 7-5.
The second set started with a more common plot for male tennis, with both of them holding their serve with no problems until the 7th game, when Murray again could raise his game first and with a couple of outstanding shots broke the Serbian serve and went up fast 5-3 with a compfortable hold.
The wind seemed to be beneath the British's wings, while Djokovic looked rather annoyed by his own inability to substain the rally with Murray.
Called to serve to stay into the match Nole found new energies and his game seemed just to follow.
From that moment on every point was simply amazing, both players fought so hard and tried every weapon of theirs to outlast the rival.
Nole held and then it was all on Murray's shoulder, he would go up in the score and even had Match Points, but everytime the situation looked desperate, Nole had an amazing solution to it and after having a few Match Point saved, at the first chance he broke back.
All tie again.
The momentum seemed to slowly change in favor of the Serbian when he held in the following game to go 6-5 up, but Murray didn't let that happen and with a solid hold pushed the set to the tie-break.

dailymail.co.uk

If you missed it, make sure you can find a way to watch this tiebreak, as it was one of the most intense tennis moment of the whole season. Murray started slow and found himself trailing of a mini-break immidiatly, but before the courtchange it was all tie again. Djokovic seemed to be a little too worried of Andy's return and tried to ask more to his serve, but it ended up not as expected and Murray in a eye-blink was 6-4 up.
But with all his corague and talent Nole found again a way out of this and got back to track. Both didn't want to let the other winning and tried everything in their hands, but last it was Djokovic to take advantage of a slightly too passive Murray, closing the 2nd set tie for 13 to 11.
The third set was less close than the score suggests, as Murray looked very frustrated, while Nole knew he had just to go with the flow, if that can ever be said about such a high-quality match. The Serbian found back his serve and didn't give any chance to the Scottish break him, while he could take two breaks away from Andy to close the match 5-7 7-6(11) 6-3.

Azarenka too good for Goerges

As predicted the title of this year's WTA tournament in Linz has gone to Vika's palmares and in straight sets too, but what was surely unexpected was the way she had to go in order to hold the trophy.
Vika started very solid and in a very few moments found herself up of a break serving on 2-1 for her. Goerges tried to produce her game, by hitting hard and trying to move around Azarenka, but Victoria looked too solid from the baseline and wouldn't lose any step from the court, no matter how hard Julia was hitting.
Two breaks decided the first set giving it to the world number one for 6-3.
Azarenka then really pushed on the throttle and outhit the German number 2 giving her no way out until she got a 5-0 lead.
Goerges knew she had to do something more to avoid the bagel and down of a Match Point on her own serve could find the heart to go more for her shots and with a sudden and unexpected reaction shocked the world number one and step by step, winner by winner she made a thounderous comeback. She had to save 4 match points on her way back, but after twenty minutes of an unbelievable tennis Goerges was serving to stay in the match, this time with no breaks of advantage for the world number 1. Had she hold, they would have been tie again, but maybe the huge effort it took her to comeback, maybe a little insecurity in the wrong moment or more likely a new assoult of the world number 1, made her arm tremble and at the 5th Match Point Azarenka could secure her first title in Linz, the 6th of the season.
Now Vika will rest up a little after the amazing Fall she had, in order to consolidate her number one status in the Year End Championships of Istanbul.

 

WTA Linz: Semifinals' day

Julia Goerges def. Kristen Flipkens 1-6 6-2 6-3

German 5th seed here in Linz had a tough time reaching her first final in the Indoor Tournament of Linz and could make it only by raising her game when it was most needed.
The two players reached the semifinal in a really different fashion, as the Belgian had to get through the qualifications and stun the former world number 1 Ivanovic, while Goerges pretty much had no troubles so far, if you don't consider her opening round against Hantuchova - still closed in straights-.
Flipkens, who seems to be finally on her way back after the unlucky season of injuries, started well confusing Goerges by mixing up flat shots from her forehand and tricky backs out of Backhand. Goerges tried to outhit the Belgian by taking risks with her big forehand, but Flipkens would defend well and fast turn defence into offence.

Picture from wtatennis.com

The German got annoyed by the costant pressure of Flipkens and started to gift points by committing way too many Unforced errors and by letting her level of serve going down as much as only half of her first serve would get in (57%) and the Belgian seemed always ready to get the initiative and hit several winning returns of service mostly from the advantage side.
Everything looked so easy on the belgian side of the net, as Flipkens didn't face a single Break Point in the whole first set, taking it home with a convincing 6-1.
The court change between the first two sets seemed to have done miracles to Goerges, who looked more confident and finally started to figure out her opponent and immediatly took a break from Flipkens and hold in the very next game saving a crucial breakpoint. From that moment on the set was never on troubles for the German girl who won it for 6 games to 2.
The key of this turn-aroud was the new patience Julia showed suddenly and quite unexpectedly from the very first points of the second set: if she just bashed the balls to finish the rally fast in the first set, she showed a better security in her weapons and moved Kristen around the court before finishing with her famous huge shots.
The third set took the same path of the one before and even if the score looks slightly closer in terms of game it never was and Julia sailed to her second final of the year after the one lost in Dubai against Agnieska Radwanska.

Victoria Azarenka def. Irina-Camelia Begu 6-2 6-1

Another walk in the park, someone would say just basing his thoughts on the score and, well, he wouldn't be really far from reality, even though the first set was slightly closer then it seems.
Azarenka started very well on return by breaking the Romanian to love, still Irina seemed to be ready for that a by playing her solid game broke back. The costant of the match was given by an attacking Azarenka and a more attendist Begu, who waited for the right chances to be more aggressive and close the point after having moved Azarenka offcourt, mostly with her crosscourt backhand. Sadly for Begu and the show, Azarenka didn't let many of those chances happen and Irina had to run a lot to defend all the power hitting from the Belarussian.
On 1-1 Azarenka broke again with ease and then hold a crucial game, since it set definitely the distance between the two. Begu realised she couldn't just wait for a short ball from Azarenka as that almost never happened and tried to be more aggressive, but ended up overhitting most of the times as Azarenka's defence and movements are among the best on the tour at the moment and Begu hasn't the stability in her shots it takes to go for winners' attempts more than once each rally. The romanian's class let her win some really awesome points, but it wasn't enough against today's Azarenka, who took the first set 6-2.
The second set started with an even more powerful start from Azarenka, which completely let Begu down: after a couple of games in which the Romanian still tried to build her game, she kind of waved white flag and let Azarenka dictate every point until the very end of the match. 6-2 6-1.

Picture from wtatennis.com

A little preview for Tomorrow's final

It won't take a magician to understand that the world number 1 is the clear favourite in the final, which will take place tomorrow at 2pm CET. Everything seems to be on Azarenka's side, she's far ranked higher on the ranking, she comes from US Open final and Beijing's title, she hasn't dropped more than 4 games to her opponents so far and leads the Head to Head for 3-1 (the only defeat comes from a retirement when a set up!), but she surely would need to keep her focus up as she is likely to be first time this week challenged on that indoor surface and Goerges has proved to be very dangerous if you let her play her big forehand and, on this surfaces, he backhand looks less of a feebleness than it may be outdoors.