Sports

Azarenka’s timeout raises eyebrows at Australian Open

MELBOURNE —Victoria Azarenka will have 48 hours to calm her nerves, rest her body and move past a center-court controversy before she returns to defend her Australian Open title.

Her opponent is an emotionally and physically fresher Li Na, the 2011 French Open champion.

The sixth-seeded Li is in top physical form and making a Grand Slam comeback. After becoming the first Chinese tennis player to win at a major in 2011, she hit a slump. But she hired Justine Henin’s former coach six months ago and the partnership has produced rapid results.

Li charged into the semifinals at the Australian Open without dropping a set. She needed just 93 minutes yesterday to power past No. 2 Maria Sharapova 6-2, 6-2.

The confident and big-hitting Azarenka also advanced in straight sets, beating American teenager Sloane Stephens 6-1, 6-4. But the victory was packed with drama and ended with the top-ranked player defending herself against accusations of gamesmanship by leaving the court for a medical timeout.

Serving for the match at 5-3, the 23-year-old Azarenka wasted five match points, lost her serve — then called a timeout. She sat with a trainer and left the court during a nine-minute medical break. She returned to close out the match by breaking Stephens’ serve. But she raised suspicion during her interview on center court.

“Well, I almost did the choke of the year,” a relieved Azarenka said to the crowd. “I just felt a little bit overwhelmed. I realized I’m one step away from the final and nerves got into me for sure.’’

Azarenka, who has a history of on-court tantrums, didn’t help herself in a TV interview after the match.

“I couldn’t breathe. I had chest pains,” she said, when asked why she left the court. “It was like I was getting a heart attack.”

After surviving her semifinal, Azarenka had a post-match news conference where she said she was dealing with a rib injury that made it hard to breathe. She said her earlier comments were a misunderstanding.

Australian Open officials said the tournament doctor reported Azarenka had left knee and rib injuries.

* Two-time defending champion Novak Djokovic advanced to his third consecutive Australian Open final last night with a 6-2, 6-2, 6-1 win over No. 4 David Ferrer.

The top-ranked Djokovic on Sunday will meet the winner of today’s semifinal between No. 2-ranked Roger Federer and No. 3 Andy Murray.