In one of the most exciting matches of the 2019 WTA Tour so far, Serena Williams will meet her old foe Victoria Azarenka in the second round of the ongoing BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. This battle of two former world no. 1s will take place on Friday, March 8, after 6:00 pm local time (2:00 am BST the next day). Get Serena Williams v Victoria Azarenka live streaming options here.
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Serena Williams v Victoria Azarenka Head to Head
The two players share one of the most intense rivalries on the women’s circuit. So far, they have met each other 21 times of which, Serena has been victorious on 17 occasions.
Their last meeting took place in Indian Wells itself back in 2016. It was the final match and against all odds, Azarenka stunned Willams to lift her second Indian Wells Open trophy. She eventually moved on to win the Miami Open as well that season.
Azarenka’s Bid to Regain her Momentum
Azarenka started her campaign in Indian Wells on a promising note with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Vera Lapko in the first round. It is only in the recent weeks that Azarenka has started to find her stride, given that she had a rather disastrous spell in the Australian Open series.
Having lost in the first round in Auckland and Melbourne, a distraught Azarenka travelled to St. Petersburg where she ran into Petra Kvitova. Needless to mention, she succumbed to the Czech in straight sets in the second round.
The Belarusian then played in Acapulco next where she had the best run of the season and reached the quarterfinal. While she was one of the favourites to go the distance, she was stopped by Sofia Kenin.
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Serena’s First Match Since the Australian Open
Serena, who has never won the Indian Wells Open in her career, will be making her first appearance here since her quarterfinal run in Melbourne this season.
It is yet to be seen if Williams has shaken off that stunning three-set loss to Karolina Pliskova, where she squandered three match points. Nonetheless, with 72 singles titles, the American is still one of the biggest names on the tour right now.
Even though she has dropped down to the 10th position, it is more than possible for Williams to move back up and reach the top again. However, it is worth mentioning that she hasn’t won a title since the 2017 Australian Open. Last year, she was the runner-up at Wimbledon and the US Open and wasn’t that active throughout the season.
Serena Williams v Victoria Azarenka Tips & Predictions
This will be the first time that the two players are meeting each other on the tour after becoming mothers. But more than that, their on-court feats matter a lot here. While Azarenka only managed to capture the Miami Open title since that meeting, Williams has moved on to conquer two more Grand Slams to surpass Steffi Graf’s record of most majors in the Open Era.
But form-wise, Azarenka has been far more active and has more momentum than Williams. She will certainly fancy her chances here although, it is definitely a fixture that can go either way.
Tip: Match to have three sets: 8/5 (betway)
You can watch & bet on Serena Williams v Victoria Azarenka on Friday, March 8 here . The match will start at around 6:00 pm local time.
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