Melbourne: LI* 6-4 0-1 AZARENKA: Azarenka might be the world number one, holder and favourite, but she looks troubled here. She lashes out at 40-30 on Li’s serve, but the sixth seed Li goes wide on a crosscourt forehand. AZARENKA BREAKS after a double-handed backhand from Li sails wide.
LI 6-4 AZARENKA*: Who’d be a betting man? Li was serving for the set at 5-3, then the top seed breaks. And suddenly Azarenka looks the more composed and has Li scampering all over the blue plexicushion court. Li fluffs a forehand for 30-30, then hits a lovely forehand for set point. But Azarenka pegs her back for deuce, then hits a glorious pass for advantage. After some old-fashioned back and forth at deuce, Li finally makes it count at the fourth set point. LI WINS FIRST SET after Azarenka double-fault.
LI* 5-4 AZARENKA: Now it is Li who is in trouble. Azarenka takes three break points on the Li serve, before Li gets it back to 15-40. Li hits into the net to give Azarenka the game and the impetus. AZARENKA BREAKS.
LI 5-3 AZARENKA*: Harris points out that prior to this game, Azarenka had won only four points on her serve. Four. She gets off to a better start in the eighth game, before Li pegs her back to 30-30. Li then hits a forehand long for 40-30. AZARENKA HOLDS. For the first time in the match.
LI* 5-2 AZARENKA: Li is rampant here. She wins her service game to love, rounding the game off with a perfect forehand. Azarenka looks bewildered. LI HOLDS.
LI 4-2 AZARENKA*: Azarenka’s serve is all over the place. She is down 0-40, but Li shoots long. But the Chinese makes it count at 15-40 with a lovely forehand down the line. LI BREAKS. That is five breaks of serve now.
Harris says that Azarenka took a swipe at a loose ball towards Li’s end after the Belarusian was broken, and then holds up her hand to apologise. That’s not going to endear her to the crowds, says Harris. There is no doubt who they want to win. And it is not the top seed.
LI* 3-2 AZARENKA: AFP Asia sports editor Talek Harris says from Melbourne Park that Azarenka’s beau Redfoo, the singer/rapper, is in the house. Can’t miss him with that hair. He sees the world number one and holder at 30-30, before Li fires an ace for game point. But she wastes it with a wild swing. They toy at deuce, before Li makes an error with a backhand, then with a forehand. AZARENKA BREAKS.
LI 3-1 AZARENKA*: Azarenka starts her service game with a double-fault, then goes down 15-30 when her backhand flies into the net. Li goes up to two break points with a crisp forehand that leaves Azarenka flat-footed. LI BREAKS.
LI* 2-1 AZARENKA: Both players look nervous, perhaps explains all the errors. Li serves at 30-30,
then fires a forehand that Azarenka cannot reach to go up 40-30. Li is having trouble with her first serve. The game goes to deuce, Azarenka goes long to give Li advantage. LI HOLDS.
LI 1-1 AZARENKA*: Wobbles on her serve for the holder as well. They go to 30-30, before Li goes to break point. Errors aplenty so far. Azarenka fires a return into the next. LI BREAKS.
LI* 0-1 AZARENKA: Terrible start for the serving Li as she begins with a double fault. The popular Chinese recovers for the next two points, before Azarenka draws level for 30-30, then goes up for break point. AZARENKA BREAKS.
(*denotes server)
0845 GMT: Here we go then. Li serves first.
0842 GMT: The players are out warming up. Recent history is very much in favour of the world number one Azarenka — she has won all four matches between the pair over the past 15 months. The umpire gives the two-minute warning.
0837 GMT: Both players come out to warm applause. There is no doubt though who the crowd will want to win. Azarenka took a controversial timeout in her semi against Sloane Stephens and Azarenka held a special briefing yesterday for the Australian media to explain herself. But she still got hammered in today’s Australian papers, Harris says. The grunting is not to everyone’s taste either.
0833 GMT: The players are in the tunnel waiting to come out. Azarenka has her white hoodie up, headphones planted in ears. Li is a few paces in front. She will walk out onto Rod Laver Arena first.
0829 GMT: AFP’s Asia sports editor Talek Harris says from Melbourne that
Azarenka was spotted arriving in a black hoodie, looking very serious. He says that it’s cool and breezy at Melbourne Park, it’s jackets and coffee rather than the usual singlets and beer. Australia Day today so plenty of Australian flags and quite a few Chinese fans with their faces painted. Not too many Belarusians around, says Harris.
WELCOME TO AFP’S LIVE REPORT on the women’s final at the Australian Open, where the holder and world number one Victoria Azarenka plays Li Na, the sixth seed.
China’s Li, 30, has been in inspired form over the past fortnight, running through four seeds including Russia’s four-time Grand Slam winner Maria Sharapova on the way to her second Melbourne final.
In 2011, the Wuhan native made history on Rod Laver Arena as Asia’s first Grand Slam finallist, and later that year she went one step further to become the continent’s first and major singles champion at the French Open.
The Belarusian Azarenka, 23, is the hot favourite. She is defending her only Grand Slam title to date, and will extend her nearly year-long stay at the top ranking with victory over Li.
Azarenka has been an unmissable presence in Melbourne, partly because of her trademark shriek when she hits the ball and also because she has been accompanied by colourful LMFAO frontman Redfoo.
But she courted controversy in her semi-final against teenager Sloane Stephens when she blew five match points and immediately went off for a medical timeout. When she returned, she broke Stephens to win the match.
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