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By Sandra Harwitt
 It was only a few days ago that I suggested that the women were becoming very entertaining to watch. And then we had the final at the Sony Ericsson Open.
This is no offense to Victoria Azarenka, who played top-notch tennis to beat Maria Sharapova 6-1, 6-4, but the match was really not riveting. Sharapova tried to insert some life into the encounter by putting up a fight in the second set. But the bottom line is if you can only hold serve once in a final, you can’t win the match – just a hint, Maria.
Sharapova just was flat. Proof: She had 12 game points on her own serve and only won the last one, which happened in the sixth game of the second set. Overall, she had 19 game points – seven in the first set and 12 in the second. She struggled on serve, throwing up six double faults – some serves never even made it far enough to reach the net. Her first serve percentage was 57 percent, which just won’t land you into the winner’s circle.
Azarenka seems to have a knack for winning in Miami against players who are celebrity crossover personalities. In 2009, the Belarussian took out Serena Williams, a bit gimpy on one leg in that match, for the title. This time around she took out Sharapova. What was most impressive about Azarenka is how she kept her composure when Sharapova, never one to walk off the court without putting up a fight, started to make some inroads into the match at 6-1, 4-0 down.
“It’s a little bit too late to pick up the pace when you’re down a set and 4-0,” Sharapova said. “I wish I picked it up earlier, obviously.”
With Serena Williams sidelined – the player most people consider top of the charts when healthy – this is the time when some other players can step up to become someone talked about in the game. Azarenka, who will equal her career high ranking of No. 6 when the new rankings come out on Monday, is making a statement as someone to keep an eye on. She took out second seed Kim Clijsters, third seed Vera Zvonareva and three-time Grand Slam champ Sharapova in successive matches in Miami.
Azarenka went through a low period earlier in the year after Dubai, but she’s found a mental approach to the game that’s keeping her happy and giggly: “I just don’t care if I lose. I’m just there to do the best I can. I’m going to fight for every ball, and for me it’s just to do the best job possible.”
Despite the loss, Sharapova’s worked her way back into the Top 10 for the first time since the 2009 Australian Open – she’ll re-enter the upper echelon at No. 9 on Monday.
“I am very happy that I achieved this much in the last three, four weeks,” Sharapova said.
What Sharapova won’t have after three final appearances at the Sony Ericsson Open is a winner’s trophy to display at home. Maybe next year, Maria.
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