Just when it appeared Venus Williams had lost her early momentum, the five-time Wimbledon Champion once again showed the mettle that has made her such a force on the WTA tour. 20-year old challenger Victoria Azarenka left no doubt that her day is on the horizon, but her big breakthrough will have to come another time. For the second time this year, Azarenka came up short against one of the vaunted Williams sisters.

This time the hard serving Venus Williams, staked her claim to her second consecutive Dubai Open Championship with an impressive 6-3 first set assault. When the 42-time Sony Ericsson Champion surged to a 3-1 second set lead, Azarenka looked doomed to another disappointment.

But, unlike her Melbourne performance against Serena Williams, this time Azarenka was able to swing the tide and seize the momentum. Down 1-3, Victoria went deep with crosscourt forehands and down the line backhand winners to capture three straight games.

Both players then held serve until Williams broke to nudge ahead at 6-5. The best server in Dubai then did her thing and staked her claim to her second straight title and the winner’s share of the $2 million purse.

Disappointed in Melbourne with her unexpected loss to longshot Chinese star Na Li, Williams appears comfortable on the Dubai surface. She is certainly one of the more unflappable tour professionals. The queen did not lose a set in this year’s tournament.

With the win, Venus stepped ahead of Justine Henin to take the lead for active tour players with WTA titles. As the tour’s fifth ranked player, she withstood the challenge of the younger sixth ranked player.

After the match, Azarenka said, “ It was very high quality tennis from both of us. I’m proud of what I did today. It wasn’t so much about power, but more about precision. She was hitting it so close to the lines. She played too well today.”

Kudos to the champion, who is fast becoming the tour’s best spokesperson. Venus Williams as been around but we think she has some classy miles ahead.

Related Articles

Venus vs. Victoria in Dubai

Azarenka – Radwanska Williams – Peer in Dubai

Venus Williams – The Elegant Artist