Story highlights
World number one records straight sets victory despite suffering injury to left ankle
Belarusian will face Australia's Samantha Stosur in Sunday's final
Victoria Azarenka is through to the final of the Qatar Open after a straight sets victory over Poland’s Aginezska Radwanska in Doha on Saturday.
The world number one came through 6-2 6-4 but needed treatment to her left ankle during the second set which delayed the match for eight minutes while the trainer strapped her ankle.
When the match resumed Azarenka soon reasserted her authority to close out the match to reach her third final of the season.
“Honestly, I don’t know how I managed to pull it off. I had to concentrate very hard on every point, but I am happy that I made it,” Azarenka said, AFP reported.
The Belarusian will meet Australia’s Samantha Stosur in Sunday’s final after France’s Marion Bartoli retired at the beginning of the second set of their semifinal.
Stosur had already taken the opening set 6-3 before the Bartoli, who won in Paris last weekend, had to withdraw because of cramp.
After the match Bartoli explained how the problem had started during Friday’s quarterfinal match with Lucie Safarova.
“In the third set I really felt like my right calf was starting to cramp, and I really had to make sure I finished that third set very quickly, because I was really feeling the cramp coming in on the calf,” Bartoli said, AFP reported.
“I had a lot of treatment yesterday after the match. Today when I started to warm up, I still felt it. So I knew I was not 100% going to the match,” she added, AFP reported.
