Wimbledon quarter-final Preview: Serena Williams vs Victoria Azarenka
In what will be an intriguing match, Serena Williams goes up against Victoria Azarenka in the Wimbledon quarter-finals. After an emotional win against her elder sibling Venus, Serena looks more dangerous of the two. However, it won’t be easy for the current World No. 1 against the Belarusian. Williams leads by a large margin in their head-to-head record (16-3), but their matches have always been combative and gruelling.
Serena seems rather confident too, according to USA Today: "I look forward to tomorrow," said an upbeat Williams of facing Azarenka.
"I feel like my tournament has finally begun. This is where I feel really comfortable in a Grand Slam."
Azarenka hasn't been the same player she was before her injury in 2014, and although her serve seems to have improved, there are a few question marks with regards to her fitness. Her Wimbledon journey has gone well so far though, without her dropping a single set against her opponents.
Her passion and drive were well outlined in her press conference: “Close is not good enough,” Azarenka said on Monday.
“I need to go out there and prove myself. To talk about it is pointless for me.”
Serena Williams has the upper hand
The duo have encountered each other thrice on grass with Williams having won all three, in the Wimbledon quarterfinals and semifinals in 2009 and 2012 respectively , and in the Olympics in 2012.
The last time the two played each other, it was at the French Open Round-of-32, where Serena had to battle from a set down to win the match 3-6 6-4 6-2. Williams, however, has history to back her; in the last eight matches that she has reached the quarters of a Grand Slam, she has won a mind-boggling seven times.
With Serena’s history backing her, and also with the motivation of achieving an elusive Calendar Grand Slam looming in the distance, we can expect Serena to win this encounter and book a place in the semi-finals.
Be sure to expect a competitive and exciting match.
| Williams | Azarenka | |
|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | beat Gasparyan 6-4 6-1 | beat Kontaveit 6-2 6-1 |
| Round 2 | beat Babos 6-4 6-1 | beat Flipkens 6-3 6-3 |
| Round 3 | beat Watson 6-2 4-6 7-5 | beat Mladenovic 6-4 6-4 |
| Round 4 | beat V.Williams 6-4 6-3 | beat Bencic 6-2 6-3 |