Return Winners: The 2012 WTA Madrid final

An unusual staging of the  tournament featured two of the most dynamic figures in the women's game in the championship match.

Throughout its history, professional tennis has had its share of hot-button issues. One of them, in particular, seemed to have ignited a near-unanimous amount of disdain toward it: Madrid on blue clay. The brainchild of the tournament owner Ion Tiriac was met with scorn from the majority of the players, but to the chagrin of most of them, the show went on—once.

On the women’s side, Serena Williams was making her European 2012 clay-court debut. Her prior tournament was Charleston, which she won on green clay. A vocal critic of the decision-making process on the surface change in Madrid, Williams still advanced to the final.

World No. 1 Victoria Azarenka matched Williams’ performance by only losing one set along the way to the final. Azarenka, who won her first Grand Slam at the Australian Open in January, was going for her fifth title of the year in Madrid.

Despite their mutual trepidation about the blue surface, both players over the course of the week demonstrated that they had made the necessary adjustments to the slippery courts. However, in the final Azarenka got off to an error-filled start to go down 4-0. Serving at 1-5, she was broken again to drop the first set 6-1.

In the second set, Williams kept holding the pressure. She held at love in the first game and then broke Azarenka right away. The world No. 1 was unable to mount a challenge against Williams, who served aces and blasted winners with abandon to take the second set 6-3. Williams, who played an abbreviated schedule due to health issues in 2011, continued her rise up the rankings with her second title of the year.

41

Williams’ title in Madrid was the 41st of her career, tying her for second with Kim Clijsters among active players. The leader in 2012 was Venus Williams with 43.

'02

The year 2002 was the last time Williams won consecutive tournaments on clay, when she captured the Italian Open and French Open.

5

Azarenka’s record in clay-court finals dropped to 1-5, with her only tournament win coming in 2011 in Marbella, Spain.