When the seedings for the Australian Open were announced, many fans were instantly drawn to the first round matchup of Sloane Stephens and Victoria Azarenka.
Both women went into the Australian Open unseeded and would have to face a long and difficult journey to capture the season’s first Grand Slam Title. The match itself wasn’t very thrilling as Azarenka punished Sloane by a score of 6-3, 6-2. Looking a tad rusty at first, Azarenka looked dominant after a Stephens serve break early in the first set. However, this match wasn’t just a win for Azarenka it was a statement.
Since she is an unranked player, Azarenka will be tasked with taking down some top talent early and often. While Sloane was a nice draw for her first match, besting Caroline Wozniacki won’t be so easy. The selection committee did no favors to Wozniacki by placing her in a potential second round matchup with Azarneka.
Wozniacki is coming off a very impactful 2014 season, which saw her dominate the tennis scene after a very public breakup with professional golfer Rory Mcllroy. Wozniacki made it all the way to the finals of the 2014 U.S. Open where she fell to Serena Williams, and was also selected to take part in the WTA finals.
Azarenka on the other hand is a two-time winner of the Australian Open, and is only ranked 44th in the world because of a string of injuries that kept her on the sidelines. Despite her best efforts she failed to make much of an impact in 2014, and as a result fell from the Top 25.
Now healthy, Azarenka will look to take out Wozniacki, and continue her run for a third Australian Open title. It’s not an easy road for either opponent, but nobody did Wozniacki any favors.