Victoria Azarenka overcame some anxiety, a sore left knee and a slew of frustrating forehand errors before fending off American teenager Sloane Stephens to reach the Australian Open final against Li Na.
For the second time in two days, the 19-year-old Stephens sat patiently in a courtside chair late in the second set while an experienced, older player took a medical timeout.
On Thursday, the top-seeded Azarenka asked for a medical timeout after wasting five match points with a sequence of forehand errors, but returned to quickly finish off a 6-1, 6-4 win on her sixth match point. The outcome was different Wednesday, when Stephens rallied from a set and a break down to beat an injured Serena Williams in three sets.
After dropping serve in the ninth game of the second set, Azarenka went to the locker room for treatment -- the tournament confirmed later it was for left knee and rib injuries -- and then returned to break the 29th-seeded Stephens' serve to finish off the match.
"Well, I almost did the choke of the year right now at 5-3, having so many chances, I couldn't close it out," Azarenka said in an on-court TV interview. "I just felt a little bit overwhelmed. I realized I'm one step away from the final, and nerves got into me for sure."
The crowd had tried to get Stephens back into the match in the second set. Fans yelled encouragement after almost every point, and a few in the crowd heckled Azarenka by mocking the noise she makes when she hits the ball.
Azarenka started to lose her composure when she hit a forehand way beyond the baseline on her third match point, her hooting sound elevating to a louder, high-pitched shriek.
After Stephens saved the match points, the crowd gave her a huge round of applause and a few people jumped out of their seats. Azarenka got tepid applause after clinching the match.
The 23-year-old Azarenka later said she'd had difficulty breathing.
"I couldn't breathe. I had chest pains," she said. "It was like I was getting a heart attack.
"After that it wasn't my best, but it's important to overcome this little bit of a struggle and win the match."
Stephens said the timing of the medical break didn't affect the match.
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