Caroline
Garcia defeated
Victoria Azarenka 6-3, 6-4 to advance to the semifinals in
Guadalajara.
Belarusian
Victoria Azarenka (23rd) arrived in Guadalajara seeking better sensations
regarding her tennis after a poor run in the US Open series tournaments, with
four losses and only two wins.
However,
this week, she won her first three consecutive matches, including a dominant
encounter with the 7th seed Veronika Kudermetova (19th).
Caroline
Garcia (11th) also didn't come to Mexico in her best form, with a 3-6 record in
the hardcourt swing and her recent drop from the top 10. As the third seed, she
made her debut in the second round with a victory over Aliaksandra Sasnovich
and then secured a spot in the quarterfinals by defeating Hailey Baptiste.
In the
early stages of the match, Azarenka displayed more aggression in her returns,
having four break opportunities in the third game, but Garcia saved them and
held her service. A few minutes later, it was the former world No. 1 who
yielded to her opponent's return.
A break in
favor of the Frenchwoman was enough for her to claim the set 6-3. Azarenka and
Garcia were evenly matched in service points won, with 63% and 64%,
respectively, while in return points, they recorded 36% and 38%, both with a
slight advantage for the world No. 11.
In the
second set, the 2-time Grand Slam champion once again lost her service, but
then, in the return, she pressed to make up for it. However, Garcia saved 6
break points this time and held her service.
Both
players maintained their serves for the rest of the match without too much
trouble, as neither of them even faced a break point against. The Frenchwoman
secured the match 6-3, 6-4, showing impeccable service.
The crucial
points were mainly in favor of Garcia, who saved 11 break points against and
managed to defend her service throughout the match. With this win, she will
return to the top 10 and face the winner of the match between the Colombian
surprise, Emiliana Arango, and the Greek Maria Sakkari.
