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Istanbul - Samantha Stosur came crashing back to earth on Wednesday when the Australian was crushed in her second match at the WTA Championships by a fired-up Victoria Azarenka.
Less than 24 hours after recording a first victory in 10 attempts over Maria Sharapova to open her White Group campaign, Stosur failed to trouble Azarenka, losing 6-2, 6-2 to the Belarusian in the Sinan Erdem Arena.
Azarenka, who did not play on Tuesday, looked far fresher than the US Open champion, keeping the 27-year-old on the back foot with searing groundstrokes, most of which were accompanied by her trademark whine.
Stosur's heavy topspin and slice had little effect on the bright green and purple indoor court and she never looked like breaking a second jinx, slipped to a fifth loss in five against world No 4 Azarenka in one hour and 18 minutes.
All is not lost, however, as Stosur can still qualify for the semi-finals if she beats China's Li Na in her last round-robin match.
Later on Wednesday, Sharapova, beaten 6-1, 7-5 by Stosur on Tuesday, will try to redeem herself against Li and play concludes with world No 1 Caroline Wozniacki taking on Vera Zvonareva in the Red Group.
Victory for Wozniacki and defeat for Sharapova would confirm the 21-year-old Dane as the year-end world No 1 for the second consecutive season.
