PETE ZIEBRON
French #1 and world #7 Marion Bartoli Pete Ziebron Images
Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli defeated world #1 Victoria Azarenka of Belarus 6-3 6-3 in the quarterfinals of the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami on Wednesday. Azarenka came into the match having won 26 consecutive matches as well as winning all 4 tournaments she entered in 2012, including the Australian Open.
Despite losing to Azarenka the first 6 times they played, Bartoli has now beaten the world #1 3 of the last 5 times, including last October at the WTA Championships in Instanbul. Following the match, Bartoli made mention of the fact that she was confident when she took the court: "Obviously we had some great battles in the past with Vika, and, you know, when you have to play against someone who is winning so much, it's even harder because obviously she had so much confidence into herself. I think the main key for me was the belief and really to step up on the court trying to win the match, not only thinking about how well she's playing and everything, but really go on the court, having a game plan and try to go for my shots."
World #1 Victoria Azarenka Pete Ziebron Images
Azarenka gave full credit to Bartoli, stating that this was her best ever effort in all of the times that they played: "She played really well, and that's what I expected her to play, the best tennis. I honestly never seen her play that well. But, I mean, all the credit to her. She did an amazing job today."
Yesterday's win over Azarenka marks the 3rd time that Bartoli has recorded a win over the #1 player in the world. Marion Bartoli's wins over the WTA #1 include:
- 2007 Wimbledon semifinals over Justine Henin
- 2009 Australian Open round of 16 over Jelena Jankovic
- 2012 Miami Sony Ericsson Open quarterfinals over Victoria Azarenka
Marion Bartoli has finished in the Top 17 for the last 6 consecutive years and was a Finalist at Wimbledon in 2007. In late January, her ranking rose to career high of #7 in the world and she credits her work off the court for her resurgence: "I have been working extremely hard (physically), and I think that's why also I improve so much since last year, being now a top 10 player and playing some great tennis since the beginning of the year. I'm really happy all my hard work is paying off."
Following the victory over Azarenka, Bartoli would lose her next match in the semifinals to world #5 Agnieszka Radwanska. Bartoli has a record of 17-7 in 2012.
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