The hottest duo gets hotter

Two of my favourite tennis players joined forces late last season to become the hottest doubles team on the WTA tour. Victoria Azarenka and Maria Kirilenko play seldom together, but when they do, they are up for a great performance. They showed us a proof last week in Stanford, when they have captured their third trophy together. After easy wins in earlier round, the duo posed a convincing display to defeat doubles legends Lisa Raymond and Liezel Hubel in the final act.

The courts from the Stanford University bear a special significance in their hearts, as they mark the opening chapter of their story. Last year, in their first showing together, Maria and Victoria advanced to the semifinals. To build on their great start, a couple of weeks later, playing in their second tournament, they ended up victorious by capturing the prestigious Cincinnati title.

This year, the duo has committed to playing more often and the results did not fail to come. After reaching the final of the Australian Open and winning the Premier crown in Madrid, this title comes as another glimpse of their huge potential. Both are very promising singles players. While Maria is still struggling to fulfill her talent, Azarenka's career is in full bloom. Moreover, Maria is a regular doubles player, while Victoria owns a strongest doubles resume. She has two mixed doubles Slams under her belt, plus several other Slam finals both in mixed and women's doubles. Nevertheless, as in singles, it's their inconsistency that impedes them from reaching the highest heights. Even so, given their excellent achievements in their scarce outings, their future looks bright, the duo starting to strengthen its credentials as one of the toughest on the tour.

Women's tennis needs a spark to ignite a rather dull period and I think that Victoria and Maria possess all the attributes to fill in this gap.

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The white fashion scoop

Under the strict rules & regulations of the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club, the tennis elites were quick to showcase the white masterpieces they prepared for this year's edition. With their creativity being already restricted to this sole colour, the players needed to come up with something really spectacular to steal the show. In recent year, the Williams sisters own the event, both based on their on court performances, as well as their fashion choices. This time around it looks to be no exception with Venus scoring high at the fashion department once again.
Overall, we are witnessing a pretty quiet Wimbledon, no player, except for Mattek Sands and maybe Venus, going overboard. The trend is towards simplicity, especially from Nike who came with a retro collection. Adidas is back at its best with some joyful, fresh pieces. Nevertheless, I somehow miss all the glam and sophistication of previous years when Federer, Sharapova, the Williamses transformed the Centre Court into a genuine catwalk.

'Relight my fire'. Venus is back with a bang. As expected the American saved the best for London where she made headlines with her spectacular jumpsuit. Although the lacy fabric might seem a bit too precious for a tennis court, Venus's outfit landed in the fashion history of the sport as one which will probably open many doors in the future. I find it incredible how well she fulfills her designer potential by putting her brand on the map everytime she steps on the court. As she's always reinventing herself, she is so beneficial for the game and for fashion. I am glad to have her and her tricky style back.

Serena Williams barely escaped being one of the block by wearing this personalized retro cardigan. I am into this kind of sweaters, so I applaude her choice. Plus it's something she never wore in the past.

Julia Goerges and Petra Kvitova also wore the Nike retro collection. Really simple, all white outfits, just some black lines here and there to emphasize some key parts.

Without his personalized blazers, Federer looks to have lost his aura when he stepped on Center Court. I hope the Swiss Master will turn the tables on his main rivals and recaptures his Wimbledon credentials by claiming a seventh crown.

Victoria Azarenka and French Open champion Na Li opted for a rather dull Nike attire that doesn't help them stand out from the crowd. While the Chinese added a shaky on court performance which saw her exit the tournament in the second round, I hope the Belorussian will be more fortunate. It really is time she takes that ultimate step towards Grand Slam glory.

Kimiko Date Krumm and Maria Kirilenko look fresh and cool in these Adidas outfits. While the Russian would look good no matter what she wears, the 40 years old Japanese manages to turn back time, proving tough competition for her younger rivals when it comes to on-court looks also.

'The Queen of Waffles'. World number 1 Caroline Wozniacki insists on bringing her Stella McCarthy 'waffles' to the court wearing the white version of the dress she showcased earlier this year at Indian Wells or Roland Garros. Besides not liking it, there is not much more to say.

'Lady Fucking NOT Gaga'. Although she lost in the first round, Bethanie Mattek-Sands made headlines at this year's Wimbledon after teaming up with one of Lady Gaga's designer, Alex Noble. After the disaster she wore at the pre-party, the American showed another monstrosity when she stepped on court. I guess that not everything that is Lady Gaga connected has to be a success. Moreover, not anyone can be Lady Gaga. Some, i.e. Bethanie, can only dream about it though. This is just another example of her sick passion for pushing the fashion boundaries in the most hideous way. I hope she'll take a break soon.

 

'One day only'. Jankovic might have opted for a rather decent dress (i.e. for her standards), but by failing in her first round match to Spaniard Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, she ended her London adventure quicker than expected. No chance to get a second look at her apparel.

The 'Godmother' Aravane Rezai looked like she was about to fulfill her role at a cheap wedding. She was building on the heavy criticism she received for her over the top, hideous outfits, but it appears like success is eluding her. She failed one more both on court and fashion wise.

'The Most Athletic of Them All'. I might have said it before, but once more I am a fan of Gael Monfils' K-SWISS attire. The athletic French looks utterly fit in the sleeveless T-shirt and sporty shorts. He is one of the few men players who managed not to look dull at this year's championship.

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My French Disillusion

After the early defeats of Kim Clijsters, Ana Ivanovic and Caroline Wozniacki, I have put all my faith in Victoria Azarenka, who became many people's top contestant for the Suzanne Lenglen cup. As the Belarus showed amazing form lately, winning two consecutive titles and losing just one match since Miami (i.e. to Petra Kvitova in the Madrid final), I genuinely believed this could be her year. Although she experienced some medical issues which forced her to retire from Stuttgart and Rome, she came out swinging at Roland Garros progressing to the quarterfinals without losing a set. She had played some Slam quarterfinals before, but for whatever reasons she couldn't pass this stage. Facing such a wide draw, I was really expecting Victoria to go all the way this time. Even though her opponent, Chinese Na Li, has beaten Azarenka in 3 of their 4 previous meeting, this was definitely Victoria's chance to break her habit. She failed to take it though, losing it in straight sets. Li, who is currently experiencing a surprising dream run on the French clay, looked solid throughout the match, breaking decisively in the 12th game to seal a 7-5 first set win. She recovered from an early break in the second to win it even more convincing, 6-2. Azarenka is left to meditate on yet another missed opportunity, while Li is turning a great season into an exceptional one.

 

Unfortunately, the series of disappointments didn't stop here. Turning to the women's doubles tournament, both my favourite duos suffered early loses. While Dulko & Pennetta's chances were hindered after the Argentinean retired from her singles match due to injury, Azarenka & Kirilenko looked set to capture a great claycourt season by winning their first Grand Slam together. Both teams lost in the quarterfinals stage, Dulko/ Pennetta to red-hot Elena Vesnina & Sania Mirza, while the latter to experienced Lisa Raymond & Liezel Huber. After their great performances, I would have liked the hot duo to get a much deserved Slam. They should fancy their chances at next week's Wimbledon, where they can finally fulfil their dream. This defeat makes Azarenka my biggest disillusion of this year's French Open. She started the week with such great odds both in singles and doubles, but she failed lamentably.

The men's doubles tournament added up to the disillusion, as the top seeds Mike and Bob Mike suffered a shock semifinal defeat at the hands of Colombian Juan Sebastian Cabal and Argentinean Eduardo Schwank. After a tight first set which was won 7-6 by the South American duo, the Bryans looked to have regained control storming to a double break 3-0 second set lead. It all came tumbling down though when the Americans lost focused, allowing their opponents to take 6 consecutive games. It marks a rather disappointing end to what has been an excellent claycourt season for the Bryan twins.

photos (top-down): AP, FFT, AP

Un scoop de la mode parisienne

With the French Open getting underway, the tennis elite was quick to showcase its latest outfits. The venue being Paris, la capitale de la mode, many players got inspired. In the absence of the Williams sisters and with Wozniacki insisting to wear the hideous Hawaiian dress, Maria Sharapova stole the show with a bright yellow, classy Nike dress. There must be something about the Roland Garros, as Sharapova always wears her most remarkable outfits in the French capital. I have heavy criticizes the Russian this year for lowering her fashion standards and allowing herself to wear the same clothes as other tour player. Although I still think she lost her authenticity and thus the uniqueness of her outfits has vanished, the Russian proved she retains her fashionista status. She knows exactly what clothes to pick and how to make a fashion statement. After winning in Rome, Sharapova looks poised to conquer Paris and to complete her Grand Slam collection. 

Kim Clijsters, probably the top female contestant, signaled her return from injury with a new look. The cute Belgian looks younger, fresher and completely focused on adding a first Suzanne Lenglen cup to her resume. The interesting thing about her outfit is that, due to the pattern, the blouse blends in perfectly with the clay surface. Although I am not blown away by it, I am enchanted by her overall look. Great to have adorable Kimmie back.

Without starting out from the crowd, Victoria Azarenka and Vera Zvonareva are both topping the mainstream Nike, respectively USTA, fields with great looking outfits. While Victoria made some inspired choices this year, managing to always look her utmost best, Zvonareva is yet to climb the highest fashion peaks. After turning around her career with Grand Slam finals at Wimbledon and the US Open, Vera gives signs that she is improving her style too. I really like the K-Swiss apparel and fashion wise, I think she took an inspired decision to switch to the American sponsor.

As usually though, not everyone was that inspired. Sabine Lisicki for example wore a completely mismatched orange/ pink outfit, while Tsvetlana Pironkova looked cheap and cheesy in her strawberry, 'fancy wannabe' top. At least these two players wore what their sponsors gave them. It wasn't the case for fashionistas disasters Jelena Jankovic and Bethanie Mattek-Sands who continue to present to us the rough outcome of their styleless creativity. While Jankovic proudly introduced us with the pink version of her 'spring' dress, Bethanie, proving to be a one-trick ponny, wore her trademark knee high socks and coal miner make-up.

 

On the men's side, Roger Federer is back to his fashion best. After getting rid of the dull T-shirt he wore lately, the Swiss Master is once again elevating his style with a great carmine T-shirt and a matching jacket. A plus for the retro element of his outfit.

French duo of Gael Monfils and Jo Wilfried Tsonga wore dynamic outfits to match their volcanic personalities. While Monfils dared the partisan home crowds in vivid purple, Tsonga kept to his usual green. The dark tone of their skins contrasts very well bold colours, so the Frenchmen proved inspired once more. Compared to the rest of the player, they provide the fashion salt & pepper that the ATP tour needs.

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Something to spoil Azarenka's party!

What a week this could have been for a red-hot Victoria Azarenka! She cruised through her first three singles matches losing only five games and looking poised to maintain her recent fine run of form with yet another title at the Premier event in Madrid. She then overcame a tricky opponent, i.e. Czech Lucie Safarova, who managed to win a set during their quarterfinal clash before bowing out to the powerful Belorussian. What should have been the toughest nut to crack, proved a relatively easy affair for Victoria, who dismissed the other in form player at the moment, German Julia Goerges, with a routine 6-4,6-2 win. Just when everything was starting to go her way, Petra Kvitova came along. She looked utterly sharp and determined  since the very beginning. She kept her demeanor throughout the final, coming out on top of a tough two setter to spoil Azarenka's party. She may have been overpowered by Kvitova, who denied her the third title of the season, but Victoria definitely has enough reasons to celebrate. Her steady results and impressive string of victories ensured she became the first Belorussian to crack into the top 4 when the new ranking will be released on Monday. Previously she shared the record with compatriot Natasha Zvereva, who made it to number 5 in the world back in 1989. 

 

Moreover, her victory in the doubles adds up to the celebration. Ever since she joined forces with Russian Maria Kirilenko, the duo found instant success. Last year, in one of their first tournaments together, they've won the Premier event in Cincinnati. More significantly, this year, the two were a set and 4-1 up in the Australian Open final, before finally succumbing to world number 1 Flavia Pennetta and Gisela Dulko. They got a well deserved revenge in Madrid, knocking them out in the quarterfinals stage. Besides having to dispose of the number 1 seeds, their path to glory was really challenging, Radwanska/ Hantuchova, King/ Shedova  and Srebotnik/ Peschke being among their opponents. They won each battle handily and collected the biggest trophy of their resume. Both being excellent doubles contestants, I am sure this is only the beginning of a fruitful collaboration.

Adding everything up, I am really glad to see Azarenka delivering and consolidating her place among the world's best. This is where she belongs and probably many were expecting her to make the transition there sooner. Nevertheless, her coming of age is great for women's tennis and if she can stay injury free and pick up consistency, the future can only look better.

photos (top-down): Reuters, GETTY IMAGES

Victoria finally victorious!

It's been a while since Victoria Azarenka managed to cause an uproar on the WTA tour. She hit instant fame in 2009 when, aged only 19, she took the world by storm after easing past Serena Williams to win the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, i.e. the fifth most important title of the tennis calendar. Her quick dismissal of the American, who back then was ranked number 1 in the world, made many claim that the powerful Belorussian was about to rise to the top of the women's game. The prediction seemed a bit far-fetched though, as Azarenka was never able to reproduce that kind of form and the expected results failed to come. She found it tough to cope with the pressure, but to her credit, she did manage to hang on inside the top 10. Last year, her first success came late in the season, in Stanford, where she showed glimpses of her brilliance after beating Marion Bartoli, Samantha Stosur and Maria Sharapova en route to capturing her 4th trophy.  Unfortunately she wasn't able to capitalize, as a strange incident took her out of the US Open where, in my opinion, she had a great chance of making a statement. After injuring herself earlier in the day, she fainted on court during her second round match against Gisela Dulko and was unconscious when rushed off by the paramedics.

After a relatively strong end to 2010, Azarenka failed to impressed once more in 2011. Her two quarterfinals at Sydney (lost to Clijsters) and Indian Wells (retired against Wozniacki) and her 4th round at the Australian Open (lost to Li) were her best results to date. All was about to change in Miami, where she rediscovered her A-game. An uncertainty until the very last minute, Victoria fought hard in the first three rounds, edging past Lucie Hradecka, Dominika Cibulkova and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in three tight sets. An easy passage followed, as she destroyed Kim Clijsters, Vera Zvonareva and finally, Maria Sharapova, to win her 6th career title. Two years after she burst into the scene, the Belorussian again looks poised to top the women's ranking. If Caroline Wozniacki did it, there's no doubt in my mind that Azarenka stands a chance. For me, she was always the better player. She plays more aggressively and her strokes are more powerful and troublesome, but she lack the mental strength and the consistency of her Dane friend. If she can improve on these areas, she, alongside Ivanovic, are next in line to challenge Clijsters' dominance.

photos: GETTY IMAGES

Victoria Azarenka Sports Stars

Victoria Azarenka

Viktoriya Fiodorovna Azarenka, also known as Victoria Azarenka (Belarusian: Вікторыя Азарэнка, Азаранка, Russian: Виктория Фёдоровна Азаренко; born 31 July 1989) is a Belarusian professional tennis player. Her career high ranking is World No. 6, which she achieved on October 26, 2009. As of January 17, 2011, Azarenka is ranked World No. 9.

Azarenka has won two mixed doubles Grand Slam titles — 2007 US Open with Max Mirnyi and 2008 French Open with Bob Bryan. She has won five singles titles, including the Premier Mandatory 2009 Sony Ericsson Open and has made three Grand Slam quarterfinal appearances.