Tennis Boxing: Paula Badosa vs Victoria Azarenka

Tennis Boxing from Indian Wells
BNP Paribas Open
Paula Badosa vs Victoria Azarenka
(Spain vs Belarus)
WTA Rankings: #27 vs #32

Venue: Indian Wells Tennis Garden, California, USA

{{{ Story based on a 2021 BNP Paribas Open final }}}

BEFORE: We're in Southern California for the biggest non-Grand Slam event of the year where Paula Badosa of Spain is trying to win the most important trophy of her career and become a new contender on the WTA scene. However she's the slight underdog against former #1 and Indian Wells champion Victoria Azarenka who is based in California full-time these days. Azarenka might be ranked lower than Badosa but only by few places and she's got all the experience on her side. She vows to stick to her attacking style in the ring and Badosa truly needs to bring her best defensive skills if she's gonna make it competitive in the California heat.

Paula Badosa wears a red crop top with blue trim, matching hip-huggers & red gloves. Long dark blonde hair tied in a custom ponytail. Victoria Azarenka wears a yellow crop top, matching hip-huggers & black gloves. Long blonde hair tied in a braid. The fight is scheduled for ten rounds in the welterweight division.

Round 1:
Quick start from the always agressive Belarussian who nicks in several hard shots into her opponent's face and it really takes a while before Paula gets going with her single hand response. She gets bounced around the ring anyway and struggles to connect with a random series which only allows Azarenka to move in with more slugging action. The pre-event favorite knocks the younger blonde back to the ropes and tries to smack her with a classic head-hunting haymaker but misses on the put away and gets clinched into safety as Badosa looks relieved more than anything else at the bell.

Rounds 2 & 3:
Paula still stuck in reverse after Victoria opens the scoring with more head shots up the middle. The Belarussian pounce continues to find holes in the Spanish defense until Badosa goes all clinching stalemate to limit the damage. She's unable to slug it right back into the older blonde's face but shows enough physical strenght to keep her at bay in desperate wrestling test in the center of the ring. Victoria still finds the separation after the referee steps in to break the stalemate and clocks more single punches on target to seemingly please the judges. More of the same in the third, mostly single punches dominate the action with Paula more effective than before but probably not enough to even steal the round on points. She cuts a frustrated figure during the interval with Azarenka trying to trigger the audience for extra support.

Round 4:
Victoria keeps swinging over the top and lands more head shots on target but she's unable to truly hurt the fellow blonde and eats a rare counter-punching rally herself which allows Badosa to finally get off the mark in significant fashion. Both women trade some heavy blows in the center of the ring and it's Azarenka who buckles first after taking a shot to the solar plexus. She dekes to the side but not exactly out of the Spaniard's reach which results in a wicked cross hook landing square on the former Grand Slam winner's jaw. Ugh! Victoria stumbles back upon impact and gets pounded back to the ropes as Paula jumps on the slugging train and duly cleans up the visibly rattled opponent for remainder of the round.

Round 5:
More slugging heroics from Badosa who cuts the older blonde under the left eye and dominates the head-hunting action in the opening minute. Azarenka tries to slug it back at the Spanish woman but bounces off her forearms too often and gets backed onto the ropes down the stretch. Paula's execution improves in dramatic fashion and she rises above the counter-punching galore to stick it into Azarenka's face who fades back behind a tight earmuff and simply gets battered in the corner. Woof. A less accomplished fighter would have probably crumbled under Paula's heavy slugging but Victoria avoids the knockdown even though she defaults the round on points having been thoroughly outclassed from the bell. She doesn't even seek eye contact at the bell and the fight is basically even on the cards at half-distance.

Rounds 6 & 7:
Badosa tries to find a haymaker blast to further enhance her chances as a decision might still favor the established champion but a single-punch rally doesn't exactly punish Azarenka enough to prevent a pesky comeback from the Belarussian woman. The back & forth action continues with both women still enjoying great fitness but Azarenka is the one landing the better shots overall according to social media experts for lack of a better benchmark. Paula does start to feel the heat in the seventh indeed, she gets bounced onto the ropes and has to apply the earmuff cover while Victoria lays it into her body to gain crucial momentum as we head into the last third of the fight. The former #1 shakes off a poor run and barks in anger she's unable to send the durable Spaniard down for the count but she's ready to carry the momentum home despite a loud Hispanic support from the stands for her opponent.

Round 8:
Paula did well to avoid a knockdown but she's merely matching Azarenka's execution in the eight and it might not be good enough save for a last-ditch KO stunner. She hauls in the overhand juice and knocks significant leather into the older blonde's face but Victoria shakes off the lumps & bruises to smack a heavy dose into Paula's face as well. More back & forth slugging until the final minute when Victoria goes for the body assault and cripples her opponent along the ropes. She tries to shove her through the ropes and down on the Plexipave surface but Badosa clinches her for another damage limitation respite. Still Azarenka has build a clear lead on the cards now and it's almost KO or bust time for the Spanish underdog.

Round 9:
It's maybe shocking but it's Victoria who goes for the kill when she doesn't really have to! She hopes to roll back some years and secure a vintage slam dunk KO however Paula moves much better around the area for someone standing 5'11" tall and she avoids the heavy rush before blasting an overhand response to tear a small gash under the Belarussian's right eye. More close range hits throw Azarenka off balance and she's unable to swing from the back foot fast enough so Paula hauls in the beef from point-blank range instead. She pummels the briefly stunned opponent onto the ropes and channels a furious baseliner series to bury the older blonde behind a desperate earmuff come the final minute. She shuts Victoria down wholesale but runs out of time to deliver that all-important knockdown. One last opportunity left...

Round 10:
Azarenka marginally ahead on the cards but leaking more punches in the final round as Badosa pours it on! She's got much more left in the tank and batters the ailing Belarussian from the inside as Victoria doesn't have enough strenght to compete at this stage of the contest. She did all the hard work before but can she carry it to the flag? Uh-oh! She gets rocked by a left hook on the ear early in the second minute and stumbles onto the ropes where Paula gashes her from both flanks and punishes the chest in the process. Victoria refuses to clinch but the earmuff cover still collapses against the odds and has Badosa landing free shot until she spins Azarenka against the turnbuckle. One uppercut rally follows and breaks the older blonde's resilience in the final minute. She bellows out into loud spasms and Paula lands that desired uppercut on the jaw that SLUMPS AZARENKA DOWN in the corner literally seconds before the bell. Uh-oh!!! How about that finish! Victoria refuses to check out, makes a gallant if painful looking recovery at eight and is awarded with a standing ovation when the clock runs out few seconds later denying the Spanish woman a chance to finish off the wounded foe. So we will go to the scorecards after all... Comes back five rounds each with the knockdown in favor of a vintage one point duke for Paula Badosa!!!

AFTER: It's the biggest title of Paula's career, the one that propels her into Top 5 ranking within the next few months. She overcome a wiley veteran champion in hard slugging fashion and basically denied Azarenka the last piece of significant silverware in the process. Victoria turns 33 next year and might be looking at the exit door before too long. She's had several moments in the sun including the 2012-13 heyday where she was the best player on tour. Alas the future belongs to other names and New York-born Paula Badosa is one of these players who will replace her as new faces of the WTA.

Official Result: Paula Badosa def. Victoria Azarenka - 1 Pt. Decision. {{{ Tennis Score was 7-6(5), 2-6, 7-6(2) }}}.