Azarenka is wasteful, isn’t left wanting

Top-ranked woman beats Barthel after squandering a 5-1 second-set lead at Indian Wells.

It was a three-hour display of compelling if not always accurate tennis.

Victoria Azarenka, the world’s top-ranked player and seeded No. 1 in the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells Tennis Garden, managed to beat 37th-ranked Mona Barthel of Germany 6-4, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (6) in a second-round match on the main stadium court Friday.

Azarenka, a demonstrative 22-year-old from Belarus, squandered a 5-1 second-set lead and had a game in which she served three double faults against Barthel, a German who had never played here before.

And Azarenka had many moments in the final two sets when she seemed determined to lose her temper as well as the match.

But in the end, after Barthel twice had a chance to serve out the match, Azarenka corralled her emotions and her groundstrokes and moved ahead in the draw.

Azarenka had reached the finals of her previous five tournaments, including an emotional and emphatic victory at the Australian Open in January for her first major title. But she seemed to lose her way during the second and third sets Friday, angrily whacking her racket on the ground or kicking at the net.

And, perhaps partly because of the naturally noisy grunting that accompanies the Belarusian’s every shot, the crowd on the main stadium court got behind Barthel, a 21-year-old who was ranked outside of the top 150 just a year ago.

But when she served for the match the first time, leading 5-4 in the third set, Barthel had three unforced errors and started making her own noise, small squeals of horror as she started spraying groundstrokes far out of bounds.

And the second time, Bartheladded a double fault to the mix.

Even at the end, in the third-set tiebreaker, it was more a matter of who made mistakes than who hit winners. Azarenka, who is on an 18-match winning streak, went ahead 7-6 in the tiebreaker when Barthel hit a backhand service return long, and on match point the German sailed a non-attacking backhand long.

Azarenka called the match “survival.”

“But it’s also a good feeling to come [out of] a match like this with a win,” she said. “I could have been already beating myself up somewhere in my house after losing.”

Azarenka said she found not a lot to admire in her game, except for her determination.

“The serve was not at the best,” she said. “My return was not at the best. But the most important is what I had in the end. I got through and I’m happy that I went through this tough battle.”

Azarenka said that after she had given up her 5-1 second-set lead, “I didn’t want to high-five myself but that’s what it was. It was difficult at the beginning of the third set to stay in the match.” Even a year ago, Azarenka said, she probably would have lost a match like this.

“I would probably be trying to . . . go somewhere and hide and drive really fast. But it’s important to find a way to win when you’re not playing well.”

Barthel said the occasion of playing in a big stadium against the No. 1 player may have caused her to hit some nervous shots. “I think it’s difficult to play the world No. 1. I stayed really calm I think, but she kept fighting for every point,” she said. Etc.

Andy Roddick, who begins singles play Saturday, was asked Friday if he was in line to play Olympic mixed doubles with Serena Williams. “You have to ask the boss lady,” Roddick said.

Prodded for further comment and asked, “But you’re in if she’s in?” Roddick said, “I’m in. I’m way far in.”