Serena Williams simply continued the momentum from 2012 and breezed to the Brisbane International title, her 47th career title, the most among active WTA players. Varvara Lepchenko was her victim in the first round (6-2 6-1), Alize Cornet in the second (6-2 6-2), Sloane Stephens in the quarterfinals (6-4 6-3) and then after a semifinal walkover when Victoria Azarenka withdrew with an infected toe, Serena had just a 51-minute work against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the final.
From 2-all in the first set, the third-seeded Williams took seven straight games and quickly went all the way to a 6-2 6-1 victory and $162,987 in prize money.
Pavlyuchenkova, who upset No.6 seed Petra Kvitova and No.4 seed Kerber earlier in the tournament, was playing her first Premier final, but against the super-experienced Serena there was nothing she could do. Here’s what Pavlyuchenkova said to Serena after the match:
I always feel like I don’t know how to play tennis when I play against you!
I’m sure she’s far from the only one with that problem.
In the off-season, Serena and Pavlyuchenkova practiced together in Mauritius as part of the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy training camp.
Serena has now won 52 of her last 54 matches! (photo: sr_cranks)
No surprise that Serena won but I was surprise to see Pavlyuchenko do well. She kind disappear last year and is good to see her start well this year.
Let us hope someone can step up and at least make the match competitive against Williams.
Well, it’s going to happen as soon as the ITF, ATP and the WTA get real about doping – and no sooner. Sadly…
But, on the merrier note, let us meanwhile, by all means, get on with our infantile adulations of such supermen and -women straight out of Marvel comics and Hollywood/video-games adaptations of the same – in this brave new world we are privileged to live in! That is, my friends: don’t ask questions, don’t even think – simply, enjoy! Cheers, my dears.