Victoria Azarenka wins in three sets at Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship

Victoria Azarenka watched a forehand shot go across the net in her second round match with Amanda Anisimova at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship.

Victoria Azarenka fought back from a set down and took the American down with a hard-fought journey at the Dubai Duty-Free Tennis Championships Tuesday. The world number 14 went to great lengths in the final set, beating Amanda Anisimova 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(5) on Court One at the Dubai Tennis Stadium.

The world number 14 earned her sixth match win over another tennis veteran, beating Pavlyuchenkova in straight sets. It was the first since 2019, giving her the perfect warm-up before facing the American. Anisimova went on a break after exiting early at the Australian Open, doing well to dispatch Vera Zvonareva in the first round. Holding a victory against Azarenka last year came on the clay courts, but with the 33-year-old playing comfortably on hard courts, she had the window open to dictate her skills in Dubai.

Azarenka started with a break of the American, allowing her a point from the service. Anisimova broke back overcoming a deficit and avoiding a lead for the former world number one. Securing a hold of her serve in the third gave her a moment to lead the set, but the world number 14 leveled back in the fourth with ease.

She scored the double break on Anisimova but was broken back due to the double faults that rolled in. Both had comfortable service games going toward the business end of the set. The ninth was the most competitive, with Azarenka forcing deuce and fighting for control through three breaks. Saving a breakpoint chance, Anisimova gained her second AD point attempt to gain the lead a third time.

The 33-year-old suffered double faults in the tenth game that allowed the American to dig in with the breakpoints and cap the set to her name in 45 minutes.  Azarenka tallied five double faults which sank her second serve to 33 percent.

Azarenka managed to make an improvement in the second, keeping the double faults silent. She targeted Anisimova on the returns that helped her break to love in the second for an early lead. The 21-year-old broke back and by the fifth, scoring a serve to love. They continued to tie one another through eight games, but the ninth went to the 33-year-old, who held Anisimova to a point for the double.

Overcoming a 15-40 gap, Azarenka saved two breakpoints, forced deuce, and held the first AD point played, forcing a decider after 43 minutes. Anisimova’s first serve struggled to get into gear, producing just 44 percent compared to Azarenka’s 70.

With the score even, the third was anyone’s to take and the fight for it went along those lines. The players had good service games to open the third set, but a battle ensued when Azarenka matched the American point for point. Both went seven breaks on Anisimova’s serve, where she saved three breakpoints from her opponent. Working hard to gain the AD point, it came after more than 10 minutes of action to give her the lead.

Putting so much effort into it, the American found a way to break Azarenka but suffered a break to love in the fifth. She quickly recovered, breaking back for the double only to suffer one herself. Each of them broke each other three consecutive times in the set, bringing the competition to a neck-and-neck race to the finish. Azarenka was first to hold serve, leading them to stay on pace till the tiebreak. It was in that moment the 33-year-old felt most comfortable, breaking Anisimova twice through five points. The 21-year-old fought back from 2-5 down, but the last two went to Azarenka, who watched Anisimova fall to the floor on a miscue from the forehand, ending 2 hours and 43 minutes.

The wind at times played a factor in shots across the court, but the service from Anisimova struggled enough to fade her early efforts in the match. The 33-year-old had her signature attack of cutting the ball to depend on, needing it for her round of 16 match against Madison Keys or Caroline Garcia.