WTA Championships Day 1: Serena, Azarenka and Kvitova begin their campaigns

It’s finally time for the crème de la crème of WTA to give every ounce of their grit and determination to have that one last shot at glory before the season gets over. For some it is a grand opportunity for redemption, for some it might be the best chance to remind tennis aficionados that the resolve and dauntlessness are still there and for others it is another window of opportunity to add to an already overflowing resume.

After a grandiose opening ceremony where the eight ladies – Serena Williams, Victoria Azarenka, Agnieszka Radwanska, Li Na, Petra Kvitova, Sara Errani, Jelena Jankovic and Angelique Kerber dazzled and vied for attention, the stage is now set for the battle of the brave and the survival of the fittest. Evening matches with a boisterous crowd in the exotic city of Istanbul – the ambience can’t be more throbbing and it definitely serves the fans a chance for a scrumptious feast for a week.

Even though the absence of 2004 champion Maria Sharapova has taken a little bit of sheen away from the Championships, there won’t be any dearth of drama when the elite lock horns with each other. The round robins kick off today with three fantastic matches in the offing. Let us have a look at these.

(2) Victoria Azarenka v (6) Sara Errani (Head-to-head: Azarenka leads 6-1)

This match is just what the doctor ordered for Azarenka! It is the perfect way to bury the bitter memories of an embarrassing Asian swing and start swinging with confidence again. As the World No. 2 points out, “It’s nobody’s fault, just a learning experience for me,” she surely has learnt from her mistakes and is ready to reassert her supremacy again. Given the group that she is in, (the White Group) the Australian Open champion couldn’t have asked for a better draw. And for her, perhaps Sara Errani is just the right opponent to start things off.

Even though the Italian No. 1’s last win over the Belarusian did come on an indoor hard court way back in 2008, since then it’s been Azarenka all the way. Azarenka has been quite menacing in their last five matches with each of them finishing in straights sets. Sara, the slightly built of the two plays a heavy topspin game and she can mix it up well being an excellent doubles player. But Azarenka’s powerful returns and swift movement definitely doesn’t help the Italian’s cause. Plus she has struggled for consistency post Wimbledon and has repeatedly talked abut the pressure to perform at the highest level. What’s more worrying for Sara is her 0-19 career record against the Top 3 players.

Prediction: Azarenka wins in straight sets.

(1)Serena Williams v (8)Angelique Kerber (Head-to-head: Serena leads 2-1)

This match-up is a study of contrasts. For Serena this has been a rollicking year which has seen her outshine simply anybody on the tour. She has soared high with 10 titles that included cradling the Suzanne Lenglen trophy after 11 years and also adding the fifth US Open trophy to her name. She is now the oldest women’s World no. 1 – the American has never looked this poised and equanimous. Perhaps it’s all because she learnt to value her life again after battling with a serious foot injury and pulmonary embolism as she says, ‘’I thought unfortunately that I just wanted to try to survive that moment and then move on. Then I ended up playing again. So I think that definitely built a lot of character in me, and I think it built even more mental toughness.’’

Today she comes up against a lefty, Angelique Kerber who was the last one to qualify for the Championships. Till the US Open the German No. 1 struggled for consistency and bigger results with just a final at Monterrey to her name. It was a late season surge at Tokyo and her run to the Linz title that sealed her place. But Kerber has a sparkling ‘W’ in one out of her three meetings with Serena. She is the only player to beat Serena in straight sets in almost 19 months.

Does it make things easy for her? Perhaps not. Even though the German has arrived in Istanbul on a high, Serena might be just too powerful and too determined for her. The German has a great defense and her down-the-line forehands have the potential to cause a lot of damage but expect Serena and her perfect serve, superior movement and tremendous mental fortitude to steer the ship and sail through.

Prediction: Serena wins in straight sets.

(3)Agnieszka Radwanska v (5)Petra Kvitova (Head-to-head: Kvitova leads 4-1)

This mouthwatering contest should be labeled as the match of the day. Petra Kvitova left Istanbul two years ago on a high after reigning supreme having gone undefeated all week. But since her breakthrough 2011 it has been a trough in her career with a series of illness, injuries and mental frailty being her nemesis. At the beginning of 2012 she was poised to reign at the helm of the world rankings but since then it has been a downward spiral with her even tumbling out of the top 10 briefly this year. But she redeemed for all that in the fall during the Asian swing. The easy power with which the Czech bludgeons the ball was seen again, her touch at the net lit up the courts once again. Even though she couldn’t avert most of her matches going to three sets, most importantly she could show her will and find a way to win.

She takes the court today against the Polish No. 1 Agnieszka Radwanska and the Czech has a lot of things to set right. Last year she began her campaign against this very player and she lost haplessly before withdrawing because of a virus. Kvitova would surely want to obliterate those memories with a resounding win but the Pole has been having a solid year herself as well. Lacking in power, she makes up for it by her guile, disguise and touch which are so beautiful to watch. She is just one of the two players to have scored over 50 wins this season and has three titles.

Radwanska is certainly not one to bow out without a fight especially given Kvitova’s performance graph varies a lot during her matches. But the Czech has perhaps found the motivation once again on these indoor courts as she says, ‘’It’s true I’m looking forward to these matches. Now it’s time to show the best again.”

Prediction: Kvitova wins in three sets.