Grand Slam Sparks Career For Mike

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A repeat performance was not meant to be, as Clijsters was wide on match point to end any chance at becoming the eighth woman to repeat as Aussie champion.

 

Azarenka is 3-3 in her career against Sharapova, with two of those wins coming in finals.

 

After that battle, Sharapova downed second-seeded Petra Kvitova 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 to avenge her loss to the Czech in last year's Wimbledon finale.

 

Kvitova beat Sharapova in straight sets to win her first Grand Slam last July, but trailed early against the three-time major titlist on Thursday at Melbourne Park.

 

"In the third set, I felt she always had the advantage because I was always down on my serve," said Sharapova, who piled up five double faults in the third set and 10 in the match. "I just told myself "You just gotta go for it, don't let her finish off the points like she likes to."'

 

The former world No. 1 Sharapova's last major title came at the 2008 Aussie Open. The Russian was the Aussie runner-up in 2007.

 

In doing so, Azarenka ended another memorable performance Down Under by Clijsters, who has stated she will retire after the Summer Olympics in London.

 

Azarenka held serve with relative ease the rest of the opening set to stay in the driver's seat, but Clijsters began her comeback by breaking at love on Azarenka's first service game in the second.

 

"I felt like my hand is about 200 kilograms and my body is about 1,000 and everything is shaking, but that feeling when you finally win is such a relief. My God I cannot believe it's over. I just want to cry," Azarenka said as she fought off tears, then put her face in a towel.

 

In the quarterfinals, Clijsters fought off four match points against last year's Aussie runner-up to her, Li Na.

 

"The match was very close. There were a few deciding moments where I think I maybe had a little bit of an advantage, in the third set, especially that first game where I had break point," Clijsters said. "But she definitely played really well. So she deserved to win at the end."

comments

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•    Ferrer makes the quarter-finals of a Slam for the 6th time in his career, the 3rd time at the #ausopen #impressive

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•    Shrieking Azarenka complains about crowd noise? Wow! #AO

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•    Men's Tennis is now boring....You can predict the last 4 in each grand slam. 1) Djokovic 2) Nadal 3) Federer 4) Murray

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•    Elke ochtend is hangover op slam fm -___-"

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•    Wah Final Australia Open tunggal putri Victoria Azarenka vs Maria Sharapova baru besok ya, mau nonton nih *-*

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•    I swear Cher Lloyd is trying to make a career out of rhyming 2 words that don't rhyme.

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•    Bethanie Mattek-Sands is into first Grand Slam final, teaming with Horia Tecau to beat Mirza/Bhupathi 6-3, 6-3. #AusOpen

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•    nadal early in his career barely ever made to the finals on any other surface

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•    Sweet, Kim Clijsters was at #fedal match. Things you don't get pointed out with Patrick McEnroe vs. MartIna. OMG, Feli + Wilson advert <3

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•    On her bam bam...just drop anodda tune and now she want deh grand slam

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