Victoria Azarenko fails to get into US Open final

By Igor Grishin

Victoria Azarenko fails to get into US Open final

Belarus’ best tennis player, ranked 17th in the world, lost to Yekaterina Makarova of Russia (ranked 18th) in the quarter-final in two sets — 4:6, 2:6. The meeting lasted 1 hour 27 minutes. Before this, Victoria Azarenko defeated Japanese Misaki Doi (90th) — 6:7 (3:7), 6:4, 6:1, American Christina McHale (43rd) — 6:3, 6:2, Russian, Yelena Vesnina (ranked 56th) — 6:1, 6:1 and Serbian Aleksandra Krunić (143rd) — 4:6, 6:4, 6:4.

Previously, three more representatives of Belarus left New York. The debutant of the main draw of the Grand Slam tournament, 20-year-old Alexandra Sasnovich (ranked 120th) beat the Slovak, Anna Schmiedlova (67th) in the first round — 6:4, 6:3 — and then lost to 11th seed, Caroline Wozniacki from Denmark — 3:6, 4:6. Olga Govortsova (ranked 117th) was defeated in the opening round by Canadian, Eugenie Bouchard (ranked 8th) — 1:6, 2:6.

The most experienced Belarusian tennis player — 37-year-old Max Mirnyi — is also out of the 2014 US Open. In the men’s doubles Max Mirnyi and Russia’s, Mikhail Youzhny lost to the world’s best doubles team, brothers Bob and Mike Bryan of the USA in the first round. Paired with China’s Hao-Ching Chan in the mixed event, the Belarusian outplayed the international tandem of Lucie Hradecka of the Czech Republic and Horia Tecau of Romania — 6:3, 6:3, but then lost to Australians, Ashleigh Barty and John Peers 3:6, 2:6.