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Tennis-Azarenka timeout not a factor in loss, says Stephens

January 24, 2013 06:15
By Ian Ransom MELBOURNE, Jan 24 (Reuters) - A gracious Sloane Stephens said Victoria Azarenka's lengthy medical time-out had not been a factor in her Australian Open semi-final loss on Thursday. World number one Azarenka won 6-1 6-4 but attracted accusations of gamesmanship from former tennis players and pundits for leaving the court for nearly 10 minutes after blowing five match points.

Tennis-Azarenka in the dock as gamesmanship rears its ugly head

January 24, 2013 06:15
By Simon Cambers MELBOURNE, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Was it gamesmanship or a genuine misunderstanding? The murky issue of cheating reared its ugly head at the Australian Open on Thursday as world number one Victoria Azarenka took a controversial timeout on the verge of her semi-final victory against American teenager Sloane Stephens. Leading by a set and 5-4, the defending champion had just missed five match points when she took a 10-minute timeout, leaving her teenage opponent to sit and wait.

UPDATE 2-Tennis-No final fairytale for Stephens as Azarenka advances

January 24, 2013 06:00
* Azarenka suffers troubling injuries * Stephens saves five match points (Recasts, writes through) By Greg Stutchbury MELBOURNE, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Victoria Azarenka brought Sloane Stephens's Melbourne Park fairytale to an end on Thursday, setting up an Australian Open final against Li Na, but the defending champion came under fire for taking an injury timeout just as her nerves appeared to desert her.

Tennis-Azarenka comes through panic attack to set up Li final

January 24, 2013 03:45
By Nick Mulvenney MELBOURNE, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Defending champion Victoria Azarenka suffered a panic attack trying to close out her Australian Open semi-final against American teenager Sloane Stephens on Thursday and needed a long medical timeout before setting up a final against Li Na. Immovable object Li had earlier laid waste to the supposedly irresistible force of Maria Sharapova on a blazing hot day on Rod Laver Arena to reach her second Melbourne Park final.

UPDATE 1-Tennis-Azarenka overcomes stubborn Stephens to make final

January 24, 2013 03:00
(Adds details, quotes) * Azarenka suffers troubling injuries * Stephens saves five match points By Greg Stutchbury MELBOURNE, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Victoria Azarenka brought Sloane Stephens's Melbourne Park fairytale to an end on Thursday, overcoming injury niggles and an attack of nerves to advance to the Australian Open final against China's Li Na.

UPDATE 1-Tennis-Azarenka wears down Kuznetsova to make semis

January 22, 2013 22:30
By Ian Ransom MELBOURNE, Jan 23 (Reuters) - Defending champion Victoria Azarenka won a first-set war of attrition before crushing Svetlana Kuznetsova 7-5 6-1 to march into the semi-finals of the Australian Open on Wednesday. The world number one was pushed to the wall by the 27-year-old Russian, who played more like a two-time grand slam winner than her current world No. 75 ranking.

UPDATE 1-Tennis-Azarenka rocks past Vesnina to beat of new song

January 21, 2013 00:45
* Azarenka steps up from rusty third round performance * Good music equals good play, says world number one (adds details, quotes) By Greg Stutchbury MELBOURNE, Jan 21 (Reuters) - An unreleased track by American DJ GoonRock helped Victoria Azarenka get back to her ruthless best at the Australian Open on Monday, the defending champion dispatching Elensa Vesnina in less than an hour to advance to the quarter-finals.

UPDATE 1-Tennis-Azarenka survives scare against injured Hampton

January 18, 2013 22:45
* Champion forced to dig deep against American * Hampton first to take set off top six seeds (Writes through with quotes, adds byline) By Ian Ransom MELBOURNE, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Defending champion Victoria Azarenka survived a huge scare from an injury-hampered Jamie Hampton, coming back from a break down in the deciding set to win 6-4 4-6 6-2 and reach the fourth round of the Australian Open on Saturday.

Tennis-Azarenka continues to ignore keeping tabs on draw

January 15, 2013 03:00
By Simon Cambers MELBOURNE, Jan 15 (Reuters) - Top seed Victoria Azarenka maintains she avoids studying the progress of her rivals at major tournaments but news of a possible injury to Australian Open favourite Serena Williams certainly piqued her interest. After opening the defence of her title with a 6-1 6-4 win over Romania's Monica Niculescu on Tuesday, the Belarussian was asked if she had heard that Williams suffered a scare early in the American's 6-0 6-0 thrashing of Edina Gallovits-Hall.

Tennis-Life tougher at the top, says Azarenka

January 12, 2013 05:30
By Ian Ransom MELBOURNE, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Victoria Azarenka will carry her world number one ranking with pride in the defence of her Australian Open title, but knows she faces a grim task preventing Serena Williams seizing both. Williams, red-hot over the past six months, won the season-ending WTA Championships in Istanbul and promptly took a dig at the Belarusian, declaring herself the true number one.
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