by Steve Flink
After watching Victoria Azarenka obliterate Maria Sharapova 6-3, 6-0 to capture her first major title at the Australian Open, I was reminded of a conversation I had long ago with the late Ted Tinling. Tinling was a highly regarded, endlessly informative, ever enlightening walking historian of the sport. He had seen more major finals than anyone. We were talking about how enjoyable it was to envision the way a Grand Slam championship match might take shape. We were in accord that it was often impossible to project what might occur whenever a Grand Slam tournament final was contested. We agreed that the pressure surrounding these historically crucial skirmishes was immense, and could often overwhelm one or even both of the participants. And then Tinling put it all in perspective when he said, “ The best part of a final at a Grand Slam event is how we imagine it in the hours leading up to it. There are so many possibilities, and so many imponderables. It’s marvelous when the match exceeds our expectations, but it is sad when the match falls short of what we believe it could be. That occurs more than we would like.”
The showdown between Azarenka and Sharapova clearly fell into that category. Both women were playing inspired tennis coming into this contest. Sharapova had avenged her loss in the Wimbledon final to Petra Kvitova with a spirited three set semifinal triumph over the left-hander in Melbourne. Azarenka had toppled defending champion Kim Clijsters in another three set semifinal, holding her nerve admirably after Clijsters took the middle set with gusto. There was a sense among the cognoscenti that Azarenka and Sharapova might push each other to the hilt in a stirring three set contest. Why? Because Sharapova had considerable experience on her side, and this was her sixth career final at a major. She was seeking a fourth Grand Slam tournament crown, and seemed primed for the occasion and confident about her chances.
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