World's no.1 Serena Williams has never been pushed to her limit the past two weeks, as she breezed through the final of BNP Paribas Open at Indian Williams. That could change on Sunday when she takes on resurging tennis star Victoria Azarenka for the crown at Indian Wells.
Event Details:
Tournament: BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells
TV Schedule / Date: Coverage starts at 1:00 p.m on Tennis Channel, 2:00 p.m on ESPN 2
Live Streaming: Live Streaming on Tennis TV, ESPN Watch and Stream Hunter for International Audience / Audio Streaming on BNP Paribas Radio
Williams vs. Azarenka at 2:00 p.m US ET - Game Center
Williams proved that a finals loss to Angelique Kerber at the Australian Open and several weeks of hiatus won't stop her from collecting yet another title. Through two weeks of competition in the desert, the 34-year old Williams dismantled quality foes, including top-tier opponents such as Simona Halep in the quarterfinals Agnieszka Radwanska in the semis.
On Sunday, Williams will be gunning for her first Indian Wells crown, 15 years after that forgetful final against Kim Clijsters that saw the champion showered with boos and jeers. Other than a victory, the 21-time Grand Slam winner only wished for a positive feedback from the crowd, win or lose.
Of course, this is Serena Williams. Every moment she steps on the court, she guns for the win. That reason alone would make this year's final much more exciting as she faces Azarenka, who is steadily recapturing her old grove back.
Compared to Williams, the Belarusian beauty had a little easier draw. After surviving Sam Stosur in a three-set battle in the fourth round, Azarenka breezed through her next two matches (Magdalena Rybarikova and Karolina Pliskova) to punch her spot in the championship round.
Head-to-Head and Pick:
Williams and Azarenka faced each other 20 times with the former racking up 17 wins in their head to head rivalry, including five straight victories over the Belarusian netter. If there's a silver lining for Azarenka heading into her 21st showdown with Williams is that her last victory over the American came more than two years ago on the hard court of Cincinnati. Should Azarenka be able to replicate her form in 2013 - the year she defeated Williams twice - there's an argument that she might pull off an upset here.
Then again, we are talking about a Williams playing at tip-top shape. While Azarenka could finally give her a test, Williams will prove too strong and season in the end. Williams winning 6-3, 6-3.