Victoria Azarenka snapped Serena Williams' 14-match winning streak with her victory in the Cincinnati final, and the American sounds relieved that the run is over.
“It makes me more relaxed and almost happy that I lost because now I don’t have to worry about every day someone asking me about some silly winning streak,” she told reporters. “So maybe it was for the best.”
Even though she has beaten Williams in their last two finals on outdoor hard courts, No. 2 Azarenka would not declare herself as the player to beat at the U.S. Open.
"I will not be a favorite," Azarenka said. "We're in the United States, and Serena is No. 1 in the world, a great champion, the defending champion, so I still think that she's going to be a favorite there. Second favorite, third favorite, I don't care about that. But this is a great boost of confidence."