Dane makes it to The Open second week in three different eras
NEW YORK: It was not the title round of the US Open, but for Caroline Wozniacki it might as well have been.
The Dane, who has known many a tennis season, and is returning to a major stage for the first time since January 2020, rallied from a set and a break down in the second, winning 10 of the last 11 games to put out home hope Jennifer Brady 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 in a virtuoso third-round performance.
The 33-year-old, a wildcard entrant, has now reached the second week of the US Open in three different eras and avatars. As an excited teenager in the 2000s, as an energetic world No.1 in the 2010s and as a confident mother of two in the 2020s.
“To have this longevity, to be able to come back after having two children,” Wozniacki, rocking an indigo bodysuit, said. “To go far in this tournament at a young age is something I’m very proud of too, something that I don’t take for granted.”
Wozniacki’s family – husband former NBA All Star David Lee, father and coach Piotr – cheering from her box, were backed by raucous fans at the Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The striking Dane, who has been away from the sport for more than three years, and whose second child son James is 10 months, showed she could problem solve on the court, just as efficiently, as she does around her children’s nursery. Against Brady, a former semifinalist, she eliminated the errors as the match progressed. Wozniacki had 25 unforced errors in the match, but only the one, and that on the forehand side, in the decider.
“Would I have been surprised had I lost in the first round here? No,” Wozniacki said. “Would I be surprised if I keep winning? No. If I play my best tennis, I know I’m tough to beat. Someone really has to play well.”
On Sunday, Wozniacki, the world No 623, will play the 19-year-old Coco Gauff in the fourth round.
NEW YORK: It was not the title round of the US Open, but for Caroline Wozniacki it might as well have been.
The Dane, who has known many a tennis season, and is returning to a major stage for the first time since January 2020, rallied from a set and a break down in the second, winning 10 of the last 11 games to put out home hope Jennifer Brady 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 in a virtuoso third-round performance.
The 33-year-old, a wildcard entrant, has now reached the second week of the US Open in three different eras and avatars. As an excited teenager in the 2000s, as an energetic world No.1 in the 2010s and as a confident mother of two in the 2020s.
“To have this longevity, to be able to come back after having two children,” Wozniacki, rocking an indigo bodysuit, said. “To go far in this tournament at a young age is something I’m very proud of too, something that I don’t take for granted.”
Wozniacki’s family – husband former NBA All Star David Lee, father and coach Piotr – cheering from her box, were backed by raucous fans at the Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The striking Dane, who has been away from the sport for more than three years, and whose second child son James is 10 months, showed she could problem solve on the court, just as efficiently, as she does around her children’s nursery. Against Brady, a former semifinalist, she eliminated the errors as the match progressed. Wozniacki had 25 unforced errors in the match, but only the one, and that on the forehand side, in the decider.
“Would I have been surprised had I lost in the first round here? No,” Wozniacki said. “Would I be surprised if I keep winning? No. If I play my best tennis, I know I’m tough to beat. Someone really has to play well.”
On Sunday, Wozniacki, the world No 623, will play the 19-year-old Coco Gauff in the fourth round.