Rome is quickly coming to a close, and most eyes are on the heavy hitters still left in the mix as they look to put together one more good run before the start of Roland Garros.  One such name that may not have made the cut on some lists is Victoria Azarenka.  The former No. 1 has spent most of 2015 unseeded and under the radar, but that could all be about to change.  After narrowly missing a breakthrough last week in Madrid, she now finds herself with an opportunity to break through in the Italian capital, and she will be extra motivated to capitalize on it.

Capitalizing on opportunities at the Premier events is something every tennis player is keen to do, but it becomes even more imperative when trying to rebuild a ranking and rediscover one's championship form.  This is a concept that Azarenka is all too familiar with.  After a rocky 2014 that saw her spend much of the season on the sidelines with injury, she entered this year well behind the eight-ball.  Without the benefit of a high ranking, she has faced stiff opposition early in tournaments, making her road to redemption all the more difficult.  But fans have seen her steadily persevere, collecting some nice wins over the likes of Caroline Wozniacki, Venus Williams, and Angelique Kerber, to name just a few.  She also worked her way to the final of Doha, where she fell short to Lucie Safarova.  Despite that loss, however, she knew it was a step in the right direction.

Things took an even greater step in the right direction last week in Madrid.  She grabbed another victory over Venus Williams in her opener and eventually worked her way to a meeting with Serena Williams in the third round.  There were many questions as to whether Azarenka was sufficiently ready to face a player of Serena’s caliber, and as it turned out, in virtually all facets, the answer was a resounding “yes.”  It evolved into one of the most competitive matches of the tournament, with Azarenka pushing Williams to tiebreaks in two of the three sets (both of which she lost).  Azarenka even managed to carve out multiple match points in that encounter, which arguably was the one area where she showed she was not quite match-tough enough to put away Williams.  She ultimately squandered those chances, and with the bitter taste of defeat in her mouth, she headed to Rome, where many wondered how she would rebound from the disappointment of what had transpired in the Spanish capital.

As evidenced by her run in her Rome, Azarenka has bounced back nicely.  She has fought to come through in three sets in two of her matches, and she picked up another very solid win over Wozniacki.  But in Friday's quarterfinal, she will be asked to once again take a big step up as she competes against Maria Sharapova.  The two met earlier this year at Indian Wells, and it was a comfortable victory for Sharapova.  But Azarenka has improved since then, and Sharapova will come in knowing that a tougher battle is likely in the cards.  It is also a big match for the Russian, who has suffered some surprising losses in her last few tournaments and will be anxious to notch more wins under her belt before attempting to defend her Roland Garros title.  In the end, however, this is a bigger match for Azarenka.  It is not a “make-or-break” match by any stretch of the imagination, but after coming tantalizingly close to getting the victory over Williams, Azarenka needs to collect a headlining win to really get herself back on the map.  A defeat of Sharapova would provide just such a win.

There is no doubt that Azarenka will be made to work hard against Sharapova, and irrespective of how that one turns out, the Belarusian is still making positive strides in the right direction.  That said, it is clear Azarenka is not content with merely making strides.  She does not want to remain the unseeded dark horse or dangerous floater, but rather one of the favorites in the hunt for the biggest titles in the sport.  She is not there yet, but keep an eye on her.  Azarenka is in a position here in Rome to make a giant leap towards becoming a part of that conversation once again.