Azarenka eases past Bartoli to meet Zvonareva in Tokyo Semis

World No.3 Victoria Azarenka earned a comprehensive 7-5 6-0 victory on French giant-killer Marion Bartoli and stormed into the semi-final of the 2011 Toray Pan Pacific Open, a WTA premier event, being played here in Tokyo.

Victoria Azarenka of Belarus quickly recovered from a bad start to dispatch Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli in straight sets with a 7-5 6-0 scoreline and stormed into the semi-final of the 2011 Toray Pan Pacific Open, a WTA Premier Event, being played here in Tokyo, Japan. In the semi-final, Azarenka will take on Russian Vera Zvonareva, who made a quick work of her compatriot Maria Kirilenko with a 6-3 6-3 scoreline and come this far in the tournament.

The Belarusian won this match in 1 hour and 35 minutes of play, as she mustered 67% points on her first serve, hammered 21 winners and converted 8 out of 14 break points. Much had been contributed by Baroli’s erratic play, as the Frenchwoman committed 12 double-faults and made it a lot easier for Azarenka.

After exchanging breaks early on in the first set, Azarenka broke Bartoli in the eleventh game and then held on to her next service game to clinch the first set. After making a poor start, Azarenka regrouped herself very well to clinch the first set in 58 minutes. The Belarusian earned 71% points on her first serve, as she hammered 21 winners and converted 3 out of 8 break points. Bartoli did well, but only in patches and her progress was halted by 22 unforced errors, which proved costly in deciding the outcome of the first set.

The trend continued in the second-set and Azarenka thoroughly dominated the proceedings to complete a second-set bagel to sail home – on an easier note.