It was the night of a big match in Doha. Two-time Grand Slam champion Victoria Azarenka was up against the top-seeded player Elina Svitolina in the quarters of the Qatar Open 2021. In an almost one-sided contest, it was Azarenka who thrashed Svitolina in straight sets. The final scoreline of the match was 6-2, 6-4.

Although Victoria Azarenka was unfit, she didn’t appear like it at all. She fought with all her might and was able to breach Svitolina’s fortress quite easily. The Belarusian player broke a total of six times during the two sets and dominated the entire match.

There was a point during the match when Azarenka was not able to even move or serve properly. However, she didn’t give up at any point and continued fighting despite her injury.

Even though her back was hurting, she still hit some amazing forehand winners. Fans will definitely hope that the injury isn’t a big one and the World No.14 player recovers soon.

“Was really worried”- Victoria Azarenka about her back pain

In the post-match interview, Azarenka revealed that she felt better that morning and was feeling no pain. However, she admitted that she felt immense pain during her warm-up, which had her worried.

“I felt the pain this morning and then I felt it was better. But, then in the warm-up, I just felt really sharp pain and I was really worried… It was really hard to push but I tried my best. I really tried to focus on just what I can do and not to think anything else,” said Azarenka in the press conference.

Such fighting spirit and determination is what made Azarenka a Grand Slam champion and hopefully, she’ll be at it again, trying to get her hands on the third Major of her career, in 2021.

Having beaten Elina Svitolina, Vika has advanced to the semifinals of the tournament. Will Azarenka be able to win the Qatar Open 2021 title?