Will Australian Open Finalist Azarenka Arrive In Dubai As Number One?

© AFP/Getty ImagesVictoria Azarenka is in the hunt to become World No. 1.

After a blistering run through a star studded field at the Australian Open which will culminate in her first Grand Slam finals appearance on Saturday, the current world number 3 player Victoria Azarenka could arrive in Dubai next month for the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships as the new world number one.

After demolishing her opponents in the first rounds in straight sets, Azarenka dropped a set in each of her quarter and semi finals appearances but fought back strongly both times to sweep aside  both number 8 seed Agnieska Radwanska and defending Open Champion and crowd favourite Kim Clijsters, clearing her way for a finals showdown with Maria Sharapova.

Sharapova, Australian Open Champion in 2008, will bring her wealth of experience from 5 appearances in Grand Slam Finals to the match, and having won 3 of those will surely go in to the final as favourite.

But that will mean little to Azarenka who has overcome a string of injuries in the last year but rallied and still went on to win 3 titles as well as reach the final of two other events. She also reached her first Grand Slam semi-final at Wimbledon, where she was beaten by the eventual champion, Petra Kvitova.

With current world number 1 Caroline Wozniacki and Kvitova out of the running, the winner of this match will not only hold the Australian trophy, they will also bag the coveted world number one spot.  Azarenka will surely have this in the back of her mind as a win will cement her place in tennis history as the first Belorussian to be number 1.

Whatever the outcome on Saturday, Azarenka’s superb performances in Australia, with a win at the Sydney International prior to her Australian open triumphs will make her one of the hot favourites to lift the Women’s trophy when play begins at the Dubai Tennis Stadium on February 20th

 “Victoria Azarenka is one of the most exciting players to emerge on the WTA Tour in recent years,” said Colm McLoughlin, Executive Vice Chairman of Tournament Owners and organisers Dubai Duty Free. “She has defeated many of the biggest names in the sport, and we look forward to seeing if she can repeat her success when she competes against what is the strongest field ever assembled here in Dubai.”

Azarenka will face fierce competition in Dubai with a stellar field featuring 8 of the top ten women all vying for the title, including defending champion Caroline Wozniacki who will be keen to repeat her performance last year where her win in Dubai gave her back the number one spot after losing it for a week to Australian Open champion Kim Clijsters. Also fighting it out will be Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, French Open winner Li Na and US Open champion Samantha Stosur.

The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships is held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. Play begins on 20th February with the WTA Tour event and continues from February 27th with the ATP tournament featuring Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Andy Murray, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Tomas Berdych.

Tickets for the event are available from the Box Office at the Dubai Tennis Stadium, Garhoud which opens from 9am to 9pm daily. Grandstand tickets can also be bought online at http://www.timeouttickets.com/. For further information about tickets phone the call centre on +971 4 358 9797.