You know this saying, "Sometimes what you don't believe is what's really happening.", no? Well, to be frank I wouldn't be surprised if you said 'no', because I made that saying up.
Okay, let's get serious. Speaking about disbelief, at the moment I'm shaking my head in disbelief, trying to really comprehend what has just happened. If you don't know what I'm talking about, it has something to do with the words 'Azarenka', 'Grand Slam', and 'World No. 1'. In short, *coughs* Victoria Azarenka has just won her first Grand Slam singles title at the Australian Open and thus becoming the World No. 1 for the first time.
Seriously, Guys, I need to learn to get used to hear or write or read the words 'Azarenka', 'Grand Slam', and 'No. 1' all in the same sentence. Again, I'm still in much of disbelief.
Doesn't mean I'm unhappy, though. Quite the opposite, I am DELIGHTED. Overjoyed. Surprised, in a good way. And also slightly proud of myself, because on such a rare occasion my prediction was right. I'm telling ya, I always thought that Vika's first Grand Slam would be the Australian Open. I don't know why, I just thought that Vika + the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup felt so right. But I never saw her reach the No. 1 ranking at the same time, though. For that, I was completely surprised. Oh, by the way, at this year's Australian Open, three players competed for the No. 1 ranking: Vika, Petra Kvitova, and Maria Sharapova. Count Caroline Wozniacki out; she didn't even reach the Semifinals. I almost fainted when I found out about that, because Vika, Petra, and Maria are three of my favourite players post-Justine. Whoever won the title, would be the World No. 1. Isn't it just lovely? And not exactly something that happens very often; that's one of the things that contribute to my disbelief.
So here I was, watching the Final on TV with my laptop on--of course I needed to tweet during the match (Twitterverse was completely CRAZY today, Folks!). Vika and Maria entered the court, with hard-to-tell expressions on their faces. Vika, as usual, was listening to some music from her iPod--it took her a few moments to get on the court for the coin toss because she had to unplug her earphones. Maria won the toss, and elected to receive. Smart decision, 'cause we all know what Maria's serve is like after that shoulder injury.
Quite a surprise, Vika started the match shakily. In just the first game, she hit two double faults! I was thinking, "Geez, who is this girl and what has she done to my Vika?" Because the Vika in the first game was unlike the Vika we'd been seeing for the past fortnight at all. Same happened in the second game. I began to doubt if Vika was ready to win her first Grand Slam singles title and the No. 1 ranking...
After the second game, everything changed. Suddenly the Vika we'd been seeing for the past fortnight came, and...completely dominated the match. The first set she won 6 - 3. In the second set, I was hoping that Maria would win, because I was expecting a grueling thriller of a match--so that we would see the best of both players. And I think we all know what happened in the second set--Vika couldn't be stopped at all. Giving poor Maria a piece of bagel, she won the 2012 Australian Open and also reached the No. 1 ranking.
From her expression, I can say that she was also in a total disbelief. She was like, "Oh my God, did my opponent just hit a ball onto the net on championship point against her in a Grand Slam final?" and then she fell on her knees. So many things going on her mind at that time, I believe. Imagine, Guys, if you've just won a Grand Slam title.
It took me a few microseconds to really realise what had just happened. Once I did, I put my hands up and screamed at the TV, "WORLD NO. 1, WORLD NO. 1, WORLD NO. 1!"
One of the most amazing things about the Final? Maria's speech. So gracious and respectful. Admit it, Guys, Maria Sharapova is one of the classiest tennis players ever. Humble winner, gracious loser. Not many players are like that, right?
Then Vika took the stand. She didn't say anything right away; she almost couldn't stop giggling. Not that I could blame her. I'd probably do the same if I were her. She mentioned her coach (Sam Sumyk), her oh-so-cute boyfriend (Sergei Bubka, Jr.), her mother, and her grandmother, whom she called the biggest inspiration in her life. She looked that she was really struggling to find the right words; well, it was an ineffable moment anyway. I think she didn't even believe that, and neither did I. Disbelief all over the place at the time.
Oh, by the way, here are some interesting facts:
- Vika is the first player to have won Sydney International and the Australian Open simultaneously in eight years. Who did that eight years ago? You guessed it--Justine Henin.
- Vika is the first female player to reach the No. 1 ranking without having been ranked No. 2.
- Vika is the first Belarusian player to ever win a Grand Slam singles title--Natasha Zvereva was a doubles great in the 1990s, though (she reached the French Open Final in 1988, but we all know what happened there--she couldn't win a game in that match).
- This is the first time in history that all current Grand Slam Champions are different players: Li Na, Petra Kvitova, Sam Stosur, and Victoria Azarenka.
Congrats to Vika, what an achievement. Brilliantly deserved. Now let's just hope it won't be too long for me to really comprehend what has just really happened, and get used to hear/read/write the words 'Azarenka', 'Grand Slam', and 'No. 1' in the same sentence. And also recover from this disbelief.
Okay, let's get serious. Speaking about disbelief, at the moment I'm shaking my head in disbelief, trying to really comprehend what has just happened. If you don't know what I'm talking about, it has something to do with the words 'Azarenka', 'Grand Slam', and 'World No. 1'. In short, *coughs* Victoria Azarenka has just won her first Grand Slam singles title at the Australian Open and thus becoming the World No. 1 for the first time.
Seriously, Guys, I need to learn to get used to hear or write or read the words 'Azarenka', 'Grand Slam', and 'No. 1' all in the same sentence. Again, I'm still in much of disbelief.
Doesn't mean I'm unhappy, though. Quite the opposite, I am DELIGHTED. Overjoyed. Surprised, in a good way. And also slightly proud of myself, because on such a rare occasion my prediction was right. I'm telling ya, I always thought that Vika's first Grand Slam would be the Australian Open. I don't know why, I just thought that Vika + the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup felt so right. But I never saw her reach the No. 1 ranking at the same time, though. For that, I was completely surprised. Oh, by the way, at this year's Australian Open, three players competed for the No. 1 ranking: Vika, Petra Kvitova, and Maria Sharapova. Count Caroline Wozniacki out; she didn't even reach the Semifinals. I almost fainted when I found out about that, because Vika, Petra, and Maria are three of my favourite players post-Justine. Whoever won the title, would be the World No. 1. Isn't it just lovely? And not exactly something that happens very often; that's one of the things that contribute to my disbelief.
So here I was, watching the Final on TV with my laptop on--of course I needed to tweet during the match (Twitterverse was completely CRAZY today, Folks!). Vika and Maria entered the court, with hard-to-tell expressions on their faces. Vika, as usual, was listening to some music from her iPod--it took her a few moments to get on the court for the coin toss because she had to unplug her earphones. Maria won the toss, and elected to receive. Smart decision, 'cause we all know what Maria's serve is like after that shoulder injury.
Quite a surprise, Vika started the match shakily. In just the first game, she hit two double faults! I was thinking, "Geez, who is this girl and what has she done to my Vika?" Because the Vika in the first game was unlike the Vika we'd been seeing for the past fortnight at all. Same happened in the second game. I began to doubt if Vika was ready to win her first Grand Slam singles title and the No. 1 ranking...
After the second game, everything changed. Suddenly the Vika we'd been seeing for the past fortnight came, and...completely dominated the match. The first set she won 6 - 3. In the second set, I was hoping that Maria would win, because I was expecting a grueling thriller of a match--so that we would see the best of both players. And I think we all know what happened in the second set--Vika couldn't be stopped at all. Giving poor Maria a piece of bagel, she won the 2012 Australian Open and also reached the No. 1 ranking.
 |
| Her reaction after Maria hit a ball onto the net on championship point. One word: Priceless. |
 |
| Her, "Oh my God..." expression. So cute. |
One of the most amazing things about the Final? Maria's speech. So gracious and respectful. Admit it, Guys, Maria Sharapova is one of the classiest tennis players ever. Humble winner, gracious loser. Not many players are like that, right?
Then Vika took the stand. She didn't say anything right away; she almost couldn't stop giggling. Not that I could blame her. I'd probably do the same if I were her. She mentioned her coach (Sam Sumyk), her oh-so-cute boyfriend (Sergei Bubka, Jr.), her mother, and her grandmother, whom she called the biggest inspiration in her life. She looked that she was really struggling to find the right words; well, it was an ineffable moment anyway. I think she didn't even believe that, and neither did I. Disbelief all over the place at the time.
Oh, by the way, here are some interesting facts:
- Vika is the first player to have won Sydney International and the Australian Open simultaneously in eight years. Who did that eight years ago? You guessed it--Justine Henin.
- Vika is the first female player to reach the No. 1 ranking without having been ranked No. 2.
- Vika is the first Belarusian player to ever win a Grand Slam singles title--Natasha Zvereva was a doubles great in the 1990s, though (she reached the French Open Final in 1988, but we all know what happened there--she couldn't win a game in that match).
- This is the first time in history that all current Grand Slam Champions are different players: Li Na, Petra Kvitova, Sam Stosur, and Victoria Azarenka.
Congrats to Vika, what an achievement. Brilliantly deserved. Now let's just hope it won't be too long for me to really comprehend what has just really happened, and get used to hear/read/write the words 'Azarenka', 'Grand Slam', and 'No. 1' in the same sentence. And also recover from this disbelief.
VICTORIA AZARENKA, 2012 AUSTRALIAN OPEN CHAMPION
AND CURRENT WORLD NO. 1
By the way, did I tell you that Vika literally asked the crowd, "What happened?" after the match? Yeah, Guys. That's the art of disbelief.
(photos courtesy of @USATgolftennis)
(photos courtesy of @USATgolftennis)
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