The Australian Open in 2013 has been unpredictable, but Victoria Azarenka should take down Li Na in the women's grand slam final in Melbourne on Saturday.
Azarenka is the defending champion, but she enters the final round in the villain role after defeating Sloane Stephens on Thursday. The controversy in the match came towards the end when Azarenka took a medical timeout after Stephens fought off five match points.
"Well, I almost did the choke of the year right now at 5-3, having so many chances, I couldn't close it out," Azarenka said in an on-court TV interview. "I just felt a little bit overwhelmed. I realized I'm one step away from the final, and nerves got into me for sure."
The crowd was behind Stephens in the latter part of the match, but the 29th seeded American couldn't overcome Azarenka. After the match Azarenka said she had trouble breathing and was suffering from some nerves as the match neared the end.
"I couldn't breathe. I had chest pains," she said. "It was like I was getting a heart attack. After that it wasn't my best, but it's important to overcome this little bit of a struggle and win the match."
Stephens said the medical timeout didn't affect the match, but it definitely helped Azarenka. She will have the pressure of the final when she faces Na, but there is also a chance the crowd will be against her after the medical timeout drama.
"This injury timeout rule needs to be thoroughly re-examined,'' ESPN analyst Patrick McEnroe said after the match. "Leaving the court for any amount of time because of nerves is unacceptable.''
Na has proven to be a fan favorite during the tournament and a good quote as well, but she also has played some of the best tennis of her career. In 2011, Na became the first Chinese player to reach a Grand Slam final when she lost to Kim Clijsters at the Aussie Open.
This time around, she defeated the previously unstoppable No. 2-ranked Maria Sharapova 6-2, 6-2, countering every attack with some strong forehands. Sharapova had only dropped nine games throughout the tournament until late, but couldn't overcome Na.
"I don't know what happened (but) I always play well here, so thanks, guys," said Li, who was playing her third Australian Open semifinal in four years. "I just came to the court feeling like, 'OK, just do it.'"
The momentum will be on Na's side after only dropping four games to Sharapova and Azarenka might not be at full strength after her tough match with Stephens. Na likely will be aggressive early in the match to set the tone and could take Azarenka by surprise if she can win an early break or two.
Azarenka is the favorite in the match as the number one player, but if Na wins the title, the top spot will go back to Serena Williams, who lost to Sloane Stephens in an upset, Azarenka has the advantage against Na in the head-to-head matchup, winning four straight in the series to take a 5-4 advantage.
The 23-year-old Azarenka has fresh legs compared to the veteran Na, but both enter the final round hot, with Na dropping zero sets during the tournament and Azarenka dropping only one. Azarenka has been using her serve effectively throughout the competition and will try get Na off-balance in the return game.
The weather could be a factor once again, as temperatures were over 100 degrees at one point during competition on Friday. Azarenka had a longer match against Stephens than Na did against Sharapova, but the Chinese star is almost a decade older than her counterpart.
To take advantage of Azarenka, Na will look to their first five head-to-head matches since she came away with four victories. During that span she hit long powerful strokes down the baseline to keep Azarenka going from sideline to sideline and also kept her guessing on her service games with angle shots.
Prediction: Azarenka wins over Na in three sets. Everything is pointing Na's way, but something just feels right for Azarenka--even if she was wrong with her medical timeout situation. This should be a tough match since Na has been playing so well over the two weeks, bit it will be the Belarusan who takes home her second career Australian Open title.