Azarenka's Australian Open run ends in quarterfinal loss

Victoria Azarenka of Belarus speaks at a news conference after her women's singles quarter-final tennis match against Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland at the Australian Open 2014 tennis tournament in Melbourne January 22, 2014. REUTERS

The defending champion’s loss follows the fourth-round exits of top-ranked Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova.

Victoria Azarenka’s 18-match winning streak at the Australian Open ended in an upset 6-1, 5-7, 6-0 quarterfinal loss to Agnieszka Radwanska on Wednesday to continue the flow of stars tumbling out of the season’s first major.

Fifth-seeded Radwanska ended a streak of three consecutive quarterfinal defeats at the Australian Open with a stunning display of versatile shot-making that confused the big-hitting defending champion.

She next plays No. 20 Dominika Cibulkova, who won the last eight games in a one-hour, 6-3, 6-0 quarterfinal rout of No. 11-seeded Simona Halep. Azarenka’s loss followed the fourth-round exits of top-ranked Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova and leaves 2011 French Open champion Li Na as the only major winner remaining in the women’s draw.

Li will play 19-year-old Canadian Eugenie Bouchard in the other semifinal.

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