At the moment, this talented, 16-year-old junior from Victoria is a bit of an unknown quantity. Even though Azra has always been a force to be reckoned with on the Australian junior circuit, her efforts haven't garnered quite the same level of attention that some of her peers' have. That said, as her name continues to pop up on the drawsheets of various Pro Tour and AMT events, it's questionable just how much longer that she'll be able to keep flying under the radar now that she is starting to threaten opponents at this higher level.
Quick Facts
DOB: November 26, 1994
National ranking: 33
WTA ranking: 714
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FAV PLAYERS-Aravane Rezai, Elena Dementieva and Karolina Sprem + MOST (lol) OF THE AUSSIES!!! : Jess Moore, Olivia Rogowska, Stosur, Molik + more
Azra had a good win today over 5th seed Misa Eguchi ranked #232. She's had a decent ITF season after a pretty quiet year. With this win she'll go up to about #600 which is a career high ranking. Good work!
__________________ oh my god karen you can't just ask someone why they're white...
^ According to the ITF she lost that match to Eguchi Good effort though against a higher ranked player.
She's been on my watch list the last year or so. Definitely one of the best players in her age group and one of the contenders for an AO qualy wildcard I reckon.
Alright, so Azra is through to the semis of the 18's Australian Champs, and Ash Barty is the next hurdle. I didn't get the feeling that Azra was playing her best tennis coming into this tournament, but when you see lots of 3-set scorelines in a player's record, that's usually a sign that they're fighting like heck to still get those wins in spite of any lack of rhythm. Azra has definitely had her own fair share of 3-setters in recent times. Anyway, it's interesting to hear her talk about her quarterfinal win over Woolcock in this interview, because she already sounds pretty thoughtful about her tennis.
Azra beat Khromacheva 1-6 7-6 6-4 in the second round of Launceston quallies. even if Khromacheva was tired from Burnie last week, she's still junior number one and her top level is close to top 100, so she was obviously still expected to be better than Azra today. looks like Azra is heading in the right direction so far this year.
Regardless of how tired Irina was etc it's still a nice big psychological win for Azra, particularly with that scoreline, still must have been a tight match. Should get a fair amount of confidence from it.
Thought I'd bump this as there's been a bit of talk and respect going out to Azra in other threads. More of us are realising that there's potential with Azra and that she's starting to fulfil it. But more impressive is that she's apparently doing it independently, supported by mum and dad (hence not travelling as much as some other girls).
Azra's had a decent year and cracked the top 500 currently sitting at #421. Her best win is still the one over Khromacheva back in Feb but she made two $25K quarter-finals later in the year. A short season in Eastern Europe mid year didn't bring much success but hopefully some good experience.
Today she plays Belinda Woolcock in a Platinum AMT semi-final and is still waiting for a spot in the Oz Open WC Playoff. Keep going Azra!
__________________ oh my god karen you can't just ask someone why they're white...
Agree, also supported by her siblings who work to provide funding, while she travels in the family bus around Australia. So Azra, keep up the good work, you've worked hard against the odds to get where you are without support. Please continue to be an inspiration to all other Aussie battlers and kick some TA favourite arse. Sponsors out there, give her a go, journos give her some profile. Imagine what she could do with opportunities at the next level and refinement.
Azra Hadzic's Cheering Section
+ MOST (lol) OF THE AUSSIES!!! : Jess Moore, Olivia Rogowska, Stosur, Molik + more
Good effort though against a higher ranked player.
