Former world number one Victoria Azarenka marked her return to the WTA Tour by snatching victory from the jaws of defeat against Japan’s Risa Ozaki at the Mallorca Open on Wednesday.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Azarenka had given birth to son Leo in December and had not played a competitive match since last year’s French Open.
She however saved three match points to win 6-3 4-6 7-6(7).
World number 74 Ozaki had actually been two breaks ahead in the third set and was serving at 5-4 when darkness descended on the Santa Ponsa lawns on Tuesday.
On the resumption, Azarenka broke serve but immediately dropped her own before Ozaki moved 40-0 ahead to move to within a point of a victory.
But Belarussian Azarenka, showing her trademark grit, clawed her way back from the brink and, in spite of trailing 5-3 in the tiebreak, sealed a remarkable victory with a backhand winner.
– NAN
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