October 22, 2013 | By New York Tennis Magazine Staff
Photo credit: Adam Wolfthal
Victoria Azarenka defeated Sara Errani in a tight two-setter in the first match of the TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships in Istanbul on Tuesday, 7-6(4), 6-2. After reaching the finals of the 2013 U.S. Open, Azarenka went on to lose her opening matches at her only two fall tournaments, in Tokyo to Venus Williams and in Beijing to Andrea Petkovic.
"I think it’s pretty normal to have a slow start, I hadn’t played in a while, and to go out after a break like that against a Top 10 player is not easy," Azarenka said. "Sara’s a great fighter. She was fighting for every ball and playing some great tennis. I was also missing too much, just some close misses. But all of the matches will be tough here, so it’s important to just find your rhythm. I turned it around. Sara makes you play every ball and brings every ball back, so it’s important to step up and close out the points. I did a good job of that today against her, but the accuracy could be a little better."
