Vaidisova Loses in First Round

Lousy form by Nicole Vaidisova, but I'm looking forward to getting the chance to see this Victoria Azarenka play for the first time.

It's beginning to look like she's definitely not going to be one of those who have a stellar junior career but don't cut it as pros.

And only in tennis (well, and maybe gymnastics) do the 16-year-old veterans have to worry about being chased down by younger talent. I wonder how it feels for Vaidisova.

From The Commercial Appeal: No 1 knocked out

Nicole Vaidisova's trainers have often referred to her as "a Mike Tyson" on the tennis court because of the hard-hitting, athletic style she uses to quickly dispatch opponents.

On Tuesday, her play was indeed Tyson-like.

But it was more reminiscent of the struggling, present-day fighter than the vintage Tyson who terrorized the heavyweight division during the 1980s.

Looking lethargic and sometimes curiously detached, top-seeded and 13th-ranked Vaidisova dropped a stunning decision to Victoria Azarenka of Belarus in the first round of the Cellular South Cup at The Racquet Club. Azarenka, who is ranked 137th in the world, dominated much of the match, winning 7-6 (5), 2-6, 6-4.

Even Vaidisova knew her performance wasn't a pretty sight.

"You shouldn't ask what the problem was for me today," said Vaidisova, a 16-year-old native of the Czech Republic who reached the semifinals of last year's Cellular South Cup. "The question is 'what was not the problem?' I just made so many mistakes today, so many stupid mistakes."

While some of Vaidisova's errors were unforced, some were the direct result of an impressive power game by the lesser-known Azarenka.

The 16-year-old native of Minsk routinely reached the 110-mph mark on the radar gun with her serve and often made Vaidisova look helpless.

Vaidisova still managed to take the set to a tiebreaker. But her frustration began to show during the extra stanza when she chastised an official for a call, shouting "Watch the line. Please open your eyes."

Azarenka won the next point -- and the set, 7-6.

"She has powerful strokes, but I have played a lot of players with powerful strokes," Azarenka said. "I believe I am powerful, too. I just tried to stay in for every shot."

Vaidisova fell behind early in the second set but rebounded to win the final four games to take the set, 6-2. She also won the first game of the third set, but that's when the wheels came completely off her already shaky effort.

Azarenka pushed Vaidisova to the brink of elimination at 5-1. Vaidisova recovered briefly, winning three straight games, but Azarenka claimed the 10th game of the set to win her first match against a top-20 opponent.

"This is a big win for me," said Azarenka, who also defeated Vaidisova during the Wimbledon Juniors in 2004. "This is a good start for me in this tournament. I called my mom, and when she answered the phone, she said, 'Congratulations.' She didn't even say hi."