Victoria Azarenka: US Open Player of Day Six

Sep 5, 2015; New York, NY, USA; Victoria Azarenka of Belarus celebrates after winning match point against Angelique Kerber of Germany (not pictured) on day six of the 2015 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Azarenka won 7-5, 2-6, 6-4. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

US Open Player of Day Six: Victoria Azarenka

Angelique Kerber vs Victoria Azarenka: Match of the tournament? Match of the year?

It’s an easy contender for both.

Both Angelique Kerber and Victoria Azarenka have been playing top ten tennis this year, although their rankings don’t reflect it due to too many tough draws. The toughest draw for both players, though, may have been this year’s US Open, where the two were scheduled to meet in the third round.

The matchup drew heavy expectations from tennis fans. And it did not disappoint.

Nearly each point was an event. The court coverage and shotmaking from both players were outstanding. And even though the momentum kept shifting between both women, the match quality never wavered.

Azarenka managed to eke out the win with a slightly more aggressive game than Kerber. The aggressive game plan allowed the Belarusian to claim the first set from a 2-5 deficit, along with the decisive third set.

Kerber’s performance also shouldn’t be discredited. Her ability to absorb and redirect the pace from Azarenka’s shots were typically sensational, and her foot-speed made for some nail biting rallies. And the post-match embrace between Vika and Angie suggested that the German’s role in the match didn’t go unnoticed by Azarenka

Sep 5, 2015; New York, NY, USA; Victoria Azarenka of Belarus (L) hugs Angelique Kerber of Germany (R) after their match on day six of the 2015 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Azarenka won 7-5, 2-6, 6-4. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Azarenka won the match so she, for all intents and purposes, is our Player of the Day. But the position really belongs to the two women, who put on a masterclass of virtuosic baseline tennis and determined shotmaking.

Azarenka will now face Varvara Lepchenko in the fourth round and will be heavily favoured to engage in a potential quarterfinal meeting with Simona Halep.

Before she turns her mind to her fourth round match, she can enjoy the fact that she managed to “pinish” the resilient Kerber in one of, if not the match of the year. And for that reason, she is our Player of the Day for Day Six at the US Open.

Winner: Richard Gasquet

Victoria Azarenka may have participated in the match of the tournament and delivered a great performance. But the cleanest, most technically proficient performance on day six of the US Open was delivered by Richard Gasquet. Gasquet produced a smattering on beyond-belief winners – including this gem – to defeat a fatigued Bernard Tomic in three straightforward sets.

Winner: Donald Young

It seems that the not-so-young American tennis prodigy may now be fulfilling his potential. In one of the very last matches to take place on Grandstand, Young fought back from a 2-set to love deficit, to defeat Serbian Viktor Troicki in a tight five-set match. Young earned the crowd’s admiration and animated applause with a tenacious performance. It was a shame that this wouldn’t be the match to close Grandstand until..

Winner: Sabine Lisicki

Sabine Lisicki shut down the Grandstand court in style. It’s impossible to anticipate exactly what will happen when Lisicki waltzes on to court. Oftentimes, she implodes with a catalogue of errors and weak shot selection. On Saturday, though, the German provided a gritty, exciting performance for the New York crowd. After claiming the first set against Barbora Strycova, Lisicki succumbed to injury and her error-prone tendencies, as she dropped the second set and fell behind 5-1 in the third. But after receiving a medical timeout. Lisicki clinched the next six games with an endless smorgasbord of winners to claim the match 6-4, 4-6, 7-5. It was an impressively clutch performance for a woman who so often falters mentally on court.

Former Players of the Day

Day Five: Fabio Fognini

Day Four: Johanna Konta

Day Three: Madison Keys

Day Two: Caroline Wozniacki

Day One: Benoit Paire

Who do you think was the best player of day five at the US Open? Let us know in the comments below!

Next: Power Ranking Serena Williams and the Top 25 Women Before the US Open

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