No. 1 Wozniacki beats Zvonareva
Top-seeded Caroline Wozniacki held off U.S. Open and Wimbledon runner-up Vera Zvonareva in Monday's final at the $4.5-million China Open. The championship match was postponed because of rain here on Sunday.
The new world No. 1 Wozniacki bested the second-seeded Zvonareva 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 on the hard courts at the National Tennis Center. Wozniacki broke Zvonareva's serve twice to grab a 3-0 lead in the final set and held on from there.
"I thought in general I played a really, really good match," Wozniacki said. "I just stayed focused, I kept running, I tried to keep the pressure on her, tried to keep her moving and I thought we played a really, really good match."
Wozniacki said an elusive Grand Slam title is her next priority.
"I feel like I'm at a very high level and can beat anyone," she said. "If it doesn't happen next year, I'm still young and have a lot of years ahead of me."
Source: montrealgazette.com
Tennis: Wozniacki claims top WTA spot with Beijing win
BEIJING—Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki claimed the world number one ranking on Thursday when she breezed into the quarter-finals of the China Open, dethroning American tennis superstar Serena Williams.
The 20-year-old Wozniacki defeated the Czech Republic's Petra Kvitova 6-3, 6-2 in a third-round clash under the floodlights at the Olympic Green Tennis Center in Beijing.
Wozniacki – the first from her country to reign supreme in the tennis world – will replace Williams, a 13-time Grand Slam winner, atop the WTA rankings when a new list is issued Monday. She came into the tournament ranked second.
"It's an incredible feeling," a smiling Wozniacki told reporters.
"I've been playing really well and it's a really nice moment for me and for my career."
The blonde Dane paid tribute to Williams, who was forced to withdraw from the China Open due to a nagging foot injury suffered shortly after she won her fourth Wimbledon crown in July.
"Serena is a great champion... it's a dream for me to achieve what she has achieved. I can learn from players like Serena," she said.
On court, Wozniacki showed some early jitters, trading two breaks with Kvitova – who beat her in the round of 16 at Wimbledon this year – before finally taking the first set when the Czech dumped a forehand into the net.
In the second set, Wozniacki – the top seed here – hit her stride, running the left-handed Kvitova from side to side and battering her with heavy topspin groundstrokes off both wings.
She raised her arms in triumph after serving out the match, as Tina Turner's "Simply the Best" thundered out of the stadium sound system.
Wozniacki is the 20th player in WTA history to earn the top spot – and the 10th to do so before her 21st birthday.
Of the women in that elite group, half are still playing. Wozniacki earlier this week cited two members of the number one club – Steffi Graf and Martina Hingis – as her "idols" growing up.
Williams, 29, has held the top spot for a total of 123 weeks over her career. Like Wozniacki, she first reached the top spot when she was 20.
Wozniacki, who joined the tour five years ago, was ranked just 64th in 2007. The following year, she won her first WTA title and has not looked back since.
This year, she won titles in Ponte Vedra Beach, Copenhagen, Montreal and New Haven before storming to the winner's circle at the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo last week.
At the US Open, where she was the top seed, she fell to Russia's Vera Zvonareva in the semi-finals – but that was one of only two losses she has suffered since Wimbledon.
Wozniacki's lack of a Grand Slam title has led some to question whether she is worthy of the top spot, but she laughed off such criticism, simply saying a Slam title was definitely her "next goal".
"I'm still young, so I still have a lot of time ahead of me. I've had a fantastic season, and I think I can be proud of this," she said.
"I should enjoy my moment."
WTA Tour chief Stacey Allaster lauded Wozniacki's achievement, saying she was "a very, very deserving world number one".
"There are only two players this year that have gotten to the fourth round of all four Grand Slams – Caroline and Venus (Williams)," Allaster said.
"She's won more matches than any other player on tour.... Caroline right now is the most consistent player over this 12-month period."
In other matches in Beijing, China's Li Na breezed into the quarter-finals, but Russian seventh seed Elena Dementieva was upset by Serbian former number one Ana Ivanovic, who will meet Wozniacki in the quarters.
On the men's side of the joint WTA/ATP event, world number four Andy Murray and two-time French Open finalist Robin Soderling survived second-round scares to advance, keeping the possibility of a semi-final showdown alive.
Murray, the second seed, struggled past Spain's Albert Montanes in two hard-fought sets, 7-5, 6-3, in smoggy conditions so bad that organisers were forced to turn on the lights on the stadium court in the mid-afternoon.
Soderling battled for nearly two hours to defeat another member of the game's Spanish armada, Nicolas Almagro, 7-5, 4-6, 6-3.
Spain's David Ferrer, the eighth seed, defeated Taiwan's Lu Yen-Hsun in three sets. He will face Soderling in the quarter-finals, while Murray will face big-serving Croatian Ivan Ljubicic.
Source: Inquirer.net
Caroline Wozniacki
Career
In 2006, she was the first seed at the Australian Open (junior girls' singles), but lost the final to eight-seeded Anastasia Pavlyuchenkovaof Russia. She was seeded second with Anna Tatishvili in the doubles tournament, but the pair was knocked out in the semifinals by the French-Italian pair of Alizé Cornet and Corinna Dentoni, who were seeded eighth.
In February in Memphis, she reached her first WTA Tour quarterfinal, beating Kristina Brandi and Ashley Harkleroad in the first two rounds before losing to third-seeded Sofia Arvidsson of Sweden.
Before Wimbledon, Wozniacki won the Liverpool International Tennis Tournament beatingAshley Harkleroad in the finals.
Later that year, she was given a wildcard to the 2006 Wimbledon Championships senior qualifying tournament, where she was beaten in the first qualifying round by Miho Saeki. However, Wozniacki went on to win the girls' singles tournament, beating Slovak Magdaléna Rybáriková in the finals.
In August, she reached another WTA Tour quarter-final, this time at the Nordea Nordic Light Open in Stockholm. She defeated top 100 players Iveta Benešová and Eleni Daniilidou before falling to eventual champion and third-seeded Jie Zheng.
Wozniacki was seeded second in the year's last major tournament, the 2006 US Open – Girls' Singles. In the first round on 3 September she won the first set against Russian Alexandra Panova, but was disqualified in the second set for verbally abusing an umpire. Wozniacki was said to have used an expletive in referring to a linesman who made a disputed call;[1] however, on her blog, she claimed to say "take your sunglasses of [sic]" and to be mistaken for talking to the linesman when she was criticizing herself after the next point.[2]
In her last junior tournament, the Osaka Mayor's Cup, she won the girls' singles and doubles.
Her first senior title came shortly after on 29 October, when she won the $25,000 ITF-tournament in Istanbul by beating Tatjana Malek in the final.
Wozniacki was set to face Venus Williams on 27 November in an exhibition match in Copenhagen,[3] but five days before the event, Williams canceled because of an injury.[4] The two did, however, face each other in the Memphis WTA Tier III event on 20 February. Williams beat Wozniacki, ending the nine-match winning streak Wozniacki had at the time.
On 30 November, Wozniacki was named ambassador for Danish Junior Tennis by the Culture Minister of Denmark at the time, Brian Mikkelsen.
2007
In early January she played the Hong Kong exhibition tournament Watsons Water Champions Challenge.
On 4 February, she won the singles title in Ortisei, Italy, at an ITF $75,000 tournament, beating the Italian player Alberta Brianti 4–6, 7–5, 6–3. On 4 March, she won the $75,000 ITF tournament in Las Vegas, beating top-seed Akiko Morigami in the final 6–3, 6–2.
She obtained a wild card for the 2007 Pacific Life Open – Women's Singles main draw and made her Tier I-debut there. She was knocked out in the second round by Martina Hingis 6–1, 6–3. The two faced each other again on 27 April in Copenhagen for an exhibition match, where Wozniacki again lost 7–6(7), 3–6, 6–2.
She then made the semifinals of the AIG Open in Tokyo in October, her first career semifinal and also the first Danish woman to reach a WTA semifinal since Tine Scheuer-Larsen in 1986 at Bregenz. Wozniacki lost to Venus Williams 6–3, 7–5.
2008
At the Australian Open, she defeated Gisela Dulko, 21st seed Alyona Bondarenko on her way to the Round of 16 where she lost to the eventual finalist and fourth-seeded Ana Ivanović.
At the French Open, she was seeded thirtieth, making this the first Grand Slam tournament in which Wozniacki was seeded. She lost however in the third round to the eventual champion and World No. 2 Ana Ivanović.
At Wimbledon, she reached the third round but lost to second-seeded Jelena Janković.[5]
Wozniacki won her first ever WTA tour title at the Nordic Light Open in Stockholm without losing a single set, defeating Vera Dushevina. She had previously beaten the no. 5 seed Anabel Medina Garrigues in the quarterfinals and the top seed and World No. 10, Agnieszka Radwańskain the semifinals.
At the Summer Olympics in Beijing, she beat World No. 12 Daniela Hantuchová in the second round before falling to the eventual gold-medalistElena Dementieva. Wozniacki then won her second WTA tour title at the Pilot Pen Tennis in New Haven, defeating four seeded players inDominika Cibulková, Marion Bartoli and Alizé Cornet en route to the final, where she defeated World No. 11 Anna Chakvetadze.
She was 21st seed at the US Open, and defeated World No. 14 Victoria Azarenka in the third round. In the fourth round, she lost to second-seeded and eventual runner-up Jelena Janković.
At the China Open, she lost her opening match to Anabel Medina Garrigues. However, she teamed up with Medina Garrigues to clinch the doubles title, defeating the Chinese duo of Han Xinyun and Xu Yi-Fan. It was Wozniacki's first WTA doubles title. At the Tier III AIG Japan Open Tennis Championships, she was the top seed for the first time on the WTA Tour, and won her third career title, defeating Kaia Kanepi of Estonia in the final.
Wozniacki then took part in an ITF tournament in her hometown in Odense. She won the tournament there beating World No. 64 Sofia Arvidsson in the final.
Her final win–loss record for the year (ITF matches included, exhibition matches not included) was 58–20 in singles and 8–9 in doubles. She ended the year ranked 12th in singles and 79th in doubles. She finished thirteenth in the race for the Sony Ericsson Championships. She also won the Newcomer of the Year award for 2008.
2009
In her first tournament of the year at the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand, she lost in the quarterfinals to Russian Elena Vesnina 6–3, 0–6, 6–3. She then reached the quarter-finals of the Medibank International in Sydney where she lost to World No. 2 Serena Williams 6–7(5), 6–3, 7–6(3) despite having three match points when serving for the match at 6–5 in the third set. Seeded 11th at the Australian Open, Wozniacki advanced to the third round where she lost to Australian wild card Jelena Dokić 3–6, 6–1, 6–2.
Wozniacki reached the quarter-finals of the Pattaya Women's Open in Thailand but lost to 8th seeded Magdaléna Rybáriková 6–4, 6–1. Seeded first at the Cellular South Cup in Memphis, Tennessee, Wozniacki advanced to the final but lost to the Belarussian teenager Victoria Azarenka 6–1, 6–3. Afterwards, Wozniacki and Azarenka won the doubles title, beating Michaëlla Krajicek and Yuliana Fedak 6–1, 7–6(2) in the final.
Wozniacki then took part in the first two Premier Mandatory tournaments of the year in North America. At the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, Wozniacki lost in the quarterfinals to eventual champion Vera Zvonareva 6–4, 6–2. At the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, Wozniacki scored her first wins over 18th seeded Patty Schnyder and the 4th seed Elena Dementieva in the third and fourth rounds respectively. She lost to Svetlana Kuznetsova 6–4, 6–7(5), 6–1 in the quarter-finals.
Wozniacki won her first title of the year on the green clay of the MPS Group Championships in Ponte Vedra Beach. After surviving a tough first round encounter against Samantha Stosur, she then handily dispensed of Virginie Razzano and Daniela Hantuchová in straight sets to reach the semifinals where she survived four match points to defeat Elena Vesnina 2–6, 6–3, 7–6(5). She then defeated Canadian Aleksandra Wozniak in the final 6–1, 6–2. Seeded fifth on the green clay at the Family Circle Cup in Charleston, she defeated top seed Elena Dementieva6–4, 5–7, 7–5 in the semifinals before losing 6–2, 6–4 to Sabine Lisicki in the final.
Wozniacki then suffered early exits in her next two tournaments losing to Marion Bartoli 7–6(6), 6–4 in the second round at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart and losing in the third round of the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome to Victoria Azarenka 6–2, 6–2. Wozniacki advanced to the final at the inaugural Premier Mandatory Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open where she lost to World No. 1 Dinara Safina 6–2, 6–4. Seeded 10th at the French Open in Paris, France, Wozniacki lost to Sorana Cîrstea of Romania, 7–6(3) 7–5. Cîrstea and Wozniacki lost in the first round of the doubles tournament to Maria Kirilenko and Flavia Pennetta, 6–4, 6–4.
During the grass court season, Wozniacki won her second title of the year at the AEGON International in Eastbourne. She advanced to the semi finals with defeats over Alisa Kleybanova, Samantha Stosur, and Ekaterina Makarova. There she faced near namesake Aleksandra Wozniak of Canada, recovering from a set down to win 2–6, 6–4, 6–4. She beatVirginie Razzano in the final 7–6, 7–5.
Wozniacki was seeded 9th in Wimbledon, where she defeated the #20 seed Anabel Medina Garrigues 6–2, 6–2 before falling to Sabine Lisickiin the fourth round, 6–4, 6–4.
On her 19th birthday she lost in the final of the Swedish Open 7–5, 6–4 to María José Martínez Sánchez of Spain. In her first hard-court tournament in preparation for the US Open, after receiving a bye in the first round of the LA Women's Tennis Championships she lost in the second round to Sorana Cîrstea 1–6, 6–4, 7–6(5). At the Cincinnati Masters, Wozniacki advanced to the quarterfinals, falling to Elena Dementieva 6–2, 6–1. In Toronto she lost in the second round to Zheng Jie 7–5, 6–3. She then went to defend her title at the Pilot Pen Tennisin New Haven. In the first round she had her first ever double bagel win, 6–0, 6–0 over Edina Gallovits in 41 minutes. In the final of the tournament she beat Russian challenger Elena Vesnina 6–2, 6–4 to win her third title of the season.
Wozniacki was the 9th seed at the US Open. She was the first Danish woman to reach a Grand Slam final, where she was defeated 7–5, 6–3 by unseeded Belgian Kim Clijsters who had recently returned to the WTA Tour after retiring in 2007. Wozniacki's runner-up showing allowed her to reach a career high ranking of No. 6 which shortly after improved to No. 5 without playing. By reaching the US Open final in September she qualifed, for the first time in her career, for the WTA Tour Championships in Doha which start October 27.
In her first match since the US Open she retired due to a viral illness at 0–5 in the first set against Aleksandra Wozniak in the second round of the Toray Pan Pacific Open, after having received a bye in the first round. She then lost to María José Martínez Sánchez in the first round of the China Open 6–7(5), 7–6(2), 6–0.
She lost 6–0, 4–6, 6–4 to Samantha Stosur in the semifinals of the HP Open in Osaka. The following week in BGL Luxembourg Open, she retired with a hamstring injury in the first round when while leading 7–5, 5–0 over Anne Kremer.
At the year-ending Sony Ericsson Championships in Doha, Wozniacki qualified for the semifinals. Struggling with a stomach strain and a left thigh injury, Wozniacki lost to World No. 1 Serena Williams in the semifinals, retiring while trailing 6–4, 0–1.Other Videos:
In February in Memphis, she reached her first WTA Tour quarterfinal, beating Kristina Brandi and Ashley Harkleroad in the first two rounds before losing to third-seeded Sofia Arvidsson of Sweden.
Before Wimbledon, Wozniacki won the Liverpool International Tennis Tournament beatingAshley Harkleroad in the finals.
Later that year, she was given a wildcard to the 2006 Wimbledon Championships senior qualifying tournament, where she was beaten in the first qualifying round by Miho Saeki. However, Wozniacki went on to win the girls' singles tournament, beating Slovak Magdaléna Rybáriková in the finals.
In August, she reached another WTA Tour quarter-final, this time at the Nordea Nordic Light Open in Stockholm. She defeated top 100 players Iveta Benešová and Eleni Daniilidou before falling to eventual champion and third-seeded Jie Zheng.
Wozniacki was seeded second in the year's last major tournament, the 2006 US Open – Girls' Singles. In the first round on 3 September she won the first set against Russian Alexandra Panova, but was disqualified in the second set for verbally abusing an umpire. Wozniacki was said to have used an expletive in referring to a linesman who made a disputed call;[1] however, on her blog, she claimed to say "take your sunglasses of [sic]" and to be mistaken for talking to the linesman when she was criticizing herself after the next point.[2]
In her last junior tournament, the Osaka Mayor's Cup, she won the girls' singles and doubles.
Her first senior title came shortly after on 29 October, when she won the $25,000 ITF-tournament in Istanbul by beating Tatjana Malek in the final.
Wozniacki was set to face Venus Williams on 27 November in an exhibition match in Copenhagen,[3] but five days before the event, Williams canceled because of an injury.[4] The two did, however, face each other in the Memphis WTA Tier III event on 20 February. Williams beat Wozniacki, ending the nine-match winning streak Wozniacki had at the time.
On 30 November, Wozniacki was named ambassador for Danish Junior Tennis by the Culture Minister of Denmark at the time, Brian Mikkelsen.
2007
In early January she played the Hong Kong exhibition tournament Watsons Water Champions Challenge.
On 4 February, she won the singles title in Ortisei, Italy, at an ITF $75,000 tournament, beating the Italian player Alberta Brianti 4–6, 7–5, 6–3. On 4 March, she won the $75,000 ITF tournament in Las Vegas, beating top-seed Akiko Morigami in the final 6–3, 6–2.
She obtained a wild card for the 2007 Pacific Life Open – Women's Singles main draw and made her Tier I-debut there. She was knocked out in the second round by Martina Hingis 6–1, 6–3. The two faced each other again on 27 April in Copenhagen for an exhibition match, where Wozniacki again lost 7–6(7), 3–6, 6–2.
She then made the semifinals of the AIG Open in Tokyo in October, her first career semifinal and also the first Danish woman to reach a WTA semifinal since Tine Scheuer-Larsen in 1986 at Bregenz. Wozniacki lost to Venus Williams 6–3, 7–5.
2008
At the Australian Open, she defeated Gisela Dulko, 21st seed Alyona Bondarenko on her way to the Round of 16 where she lost to the eventual finalist and fourth-seeded Ana Ivanović.
At the French Open, she was seeded thirtieth, making this the first Grand Slam tournament in which Wozniacki was seeded. She lost however in the third round to the eventual champion and World No. 2 Ana Ivanović.
At Wimbledon, she reached the third round but lost to second-seeded Jelena Janković.[5]
Wozniacki won her first ever WTA tour title at the Nordic Light Open in Stockholm without losing a single set, defeating Vera Dushevina. She had previously beaten the no. 5 seed Anabel Medina Garrigues in the quarterfinals and the top seed and World No. 10, Agnieszka Radwańskain the semifinals.
At the Summer Olympics in Beijing, she beat World No. 12 Daniela Hantuchová in the second round before falling to the eventual gold-medalistElena Dementieva. Wozniacki then won her second WTA tour title at the Pilot Pen Tennis in New Haven, defeating four seeded players inDominika Cibulková, Marion Bartoli and Alizé Cornet en route to the final, where she defeated World No. 11 Anna Chakvetadze.
She was 21st seed at the US Open, and defeated World No. 14 Victoria Azarenka in the third round. In the fourth round, she lost to second-seeded and eventual runner-up Jelena Janković.
At the China Open, she lost her opening match to Anabel Medina Garrigues. However, she teamed up with Medina Garrigues to clinch the doubles title, defeating the Chinese duo of Han Xinyun and Xu Yi-Fan. It was Wozniacki's first WTA doubles title. At the Tier III AIG Japan Open Tennis Championships, she was the top seed for the first time on the WTA Tour, and won her third career title, defeating Kaia Kanepi of Estonia in the final.
Wozniacki then took part in an ITF tournament in her hometown in Odense. She won the tournament there beating World No. 64 Sofia Arvidsson in the final.
Her final win–loss record for the year (ITF matches included, exhibition matches not included) was 58–20 in singles and 8–9 in doubles. She ended the year ranked 12th in singles and 79th in doubles. She finished thirteenth in the race for the Sony Ericsson Championships. She also won the Newcomer of the Year award for 2008.
2009
In her first tournament of the year at the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand, she lost in the quarterfinals to Russian Elena Vesnina 6–3, 0–6, 6–3. She then reached the quarter-finals of the Medibank International in Sydney where she lost to World No. 2 Serena Williams 6–7(5), 6–3, 7–6(3) despite having three match points when serving for the match at 6–5 in the third set. Seeded 11th at the Australian Open, Wozniacki advanced to the third round where she lost to Australian wild card Jelena Dokić 3–6, 6–1, 6–2.
Wozniacki reached the quarter-finals of the Pattaya Women's Open in Thailand but lost to 8th seeded Magdaléna Rybáriková 6–4, 6–1. Seeded first at the Cellular South Cup in Memphis, Tennessee, Wozniacki advanced to the final but lost to the Belarussian teenager Victoria Azarenka 6–1, 6–3. Afterwards, Wozniacki and Azarenka won the doubles title, beating Michaëlla Krajicek and Yuliana Fedak 6–1, 7–6(2) in the final.
Wozniacki then took part in the first two Premier Mandatory tournaments of the year in North America. At the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, Wozniacki lost in the quarterfinals to eventual champion Vera Zvonareva 6–4, 6–2. At the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, Wozniacki scored her first wins over 18th seeded Patty Schnyder and the 4th seed Elena Dementieva in the third and fourth rounds respectively. She lost to Svetlana Kuznetsova 6–4, 6–7(5), 6–1 in the quarter-finals.
Wozniacki won her first title of the year on the green clay of the MPS Group Championships in Ponte Vedra Beach. After surviving a tough first round encounter against Samantha Stosur, she then handily dispensed of Virginie Razzano and Daniela Hantuchová in straight sets to reach the semifinals where she survived four match points to defeat Elena Vesnina 2–6, 6–3, 7–6(5). She then defeated Canadian Aleksandra Wozniak in the final 6–1, 6–2. Seeded fifth on the green clay at the Family Circle Cup in Charleston, she defeated top seed Elena Dementieva6–4, 5–7, 7–5 in the semifinals before losing 6–2, 6–4 to Sabine Lisicki in the final.
Wozniacki then suffered early exits in her next two tournaments losing to Marion Bartoli 7–6(6), 6–4 in the second round at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart and losing in the third round of the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome to Victoria Azarenka 6–2, 6–2. Wozniacki advanced to the final at the inaugural Premier Mandatory Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open where she lost to World No. 1 Dinara Safina 6–2, 6–4. Seeded 10th at the French Open in Paris, France, Wozniacki lost to Sorana Cîrstea of Romania, 7–6(3) 7–5. Cîrstea and Wozniacki lost in the first round of the doubles tournament to Maria Kirilenko and Flavia Pennetta, 6–4, 6–4.
During the grass court season, Wozniacki won her second title of the year at the AEGON International in Eastbourne. She advanced to the semi finals with defeats over Alisa Kleybanova, Samantha Stosur, and Ekaterina Makarova. There she faced near namesake Aleksandra Wozniak of Canada, recovering from a set down to win 2–6, 6–4, 6–4. She beatVirginie Razzano in the final 7–6, 7–5.
Wozniacki was seeded 9th in Wimbledon, where she defeated the #20 seed Anabel Medina Garrigues 6–2, 6–2 before falling to Sabine Lisickiin the fourth round, 6–4, 6–4.
On her 19th birthday she lost in the final of the Swedish Open 7–5, 6–4 to María José Martínez Sánchez of Spain. In her first hard-court tournament in preparation for the US Open, after receiving a bye in the first round of the LA Women's Tennis Championships she lost in the second round to Sorana Cîrstea 1–6, 6–4, 7–6(5). At the Cincinnati Masters, Wozniacki advanced to the quarterfinals, falling to Elena Dementieva 6–2, 6–1. In Toronto she lost in the second round to Zheng Jie 7–5, 6–3. She then went to defend her title at the Pilot Pen Tennisin New Haven. In the first round she had her first ever double bagel win, 6–0, 6–0 over Edina Gallovits in 41 minutes. In the final of the tournament she beat Russian challenger Elena Vesnina 6–2, 6–4 to win her third title of the season.
Wozniacki was the 9th seed at the US Open. She was the first Danish woman to reach a Grand Slam final, where she was defeated 7–5, 6–3 by unseeded Belgian Kim Clijsters who had recently returned to the WTA Tour after retiring in 2007. Wozniacki's runner-up showing allowed her to reach a career high ranking of No. 6 which shortly after improved to No. 5 without playing. By reaching the US Open final in September she qualifed, for the first time in her career, for the WTA Tour Championships in Doha which start October 27.
In her first match since the US Open she retired due to a viral illness at 0–5 in the first set against Aleksandra Wozniak in the second round of the Toray Pan Pacific Open, after having received a bye in the first round. She then lost to María José Martínez Sánchez in the first round of the China Open 6–7(5), 7–6(2), 6–0.
She lost 6–0, 4–6, 6–4 to Samantha Stosur in the semifinals of the HP Open in Osaka. The following week in BGL Luxembourg Open, she retired with a hamstring injury in the first round when while leading 7–5, 5–0 over Anne Kremer.
At the year-ending Sony Ericsson Championships in Doha, Wozniacki qualified for the semifinals. Struggling with a stomach strain and a left thigh injury, Wozniacki lost to World No. 1 Serena Williams in the semifinals, retiring while trailing 6–4, 0–1.Other Videos:
2010
Wozniacki started the 2010 season playing at an exhibition tournament in Hong Kong where she lost two singles matches for Team Europe but won two mixed doubles with Stefan Edberg. In her first WTA tournament of the year, Wozniacki suffered an opening round loss to Li Na of China in Sydney. She was seeded 4th at the Australian Open, her first top-eight seed in a Grand Slam. She again fell to Na, this time in the fourth round, in straight sets. Despite her 4th round exit, Wozniacki achieved her career high ranking of No.3.
As the 2nd seed at Indian Wells, Wozniacki reached the final, despite dropping a set to three players en route. She was defeated by Jelena Janković 6–2, 6–4. With the result, she again achieved a new career high rank of World No. 2.[8] At the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, Wozniacki lost in the quarterfinals to the newly returned Justine Henin 6–7(5), 6–3, 6–4.
Her next tournament was at Ponte Vedra Beach, where she defeated Olga Govortsova 6–2, 7–5 in the final. Wozniacki then competed at the Family Circle Cup in Charleston. She advanced to the semifinals, where she met Vera Zvonareva. Wozniacki was forced to retire down 5–2 after she rolled her ankle chasing down a short ball at 4–2. The injury was cited as serious.
Despite her ongoing ankle injury, she continued to compete in tournaments through the clay court season, suffering early losses in Stuttgart, Rome, Madrid, and Warsaw. Despite her poor clay court season, Wozniacki was seeded 3rd at the French Open. She posted her best result at Roland Garros by advancing to the fourth round, without having dropped a set. There, it took almost three hours for Wozniacki to defeat Flavia Pennetta of Italy 7–6(5), (4)6–7, 6–2. In the quarter finals she lost to Francesca Schiavone, the eventual champion, 6–3, 6–2. Wozniacki partnered Daniela Hantuchová in doubles, but withdrew before their second round match with the Williams sisters due to a right shoulder injury to Hantuchová.
As the defending champion, Wozniacki lost early at the AEGON International, her first grass court tournament of the year. Wozniacki was seeded 3rd at the 2010 Wimbledon Championships. She defeated Tathiana Garbin, Chang Kai-chen and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova en route to the fourth round, where she was crushed by Petra Kvitová 6–2, 6–0.
Wozniacki was the number 1 seed at the 2010 e-Boks Danish Open. It was the first Danish WTA tournament and was created largely because of Wozniacki's popularity in Denmark. She reached the final where she defeated Klara Zakopalova to win her second title of the year.
In Cincinnati, she lost in the third round to Marion Bartoli 6–4, 6–1. As the number 2 seed in Montreal, Wozniacki was forced to wait two days to play her semifinal match with Svetlana Kuznetsova because of heavy rain. She defeated Kuznetova and Vera Zvonareva back-to-back for her third singles title of the year. As the top seed at New Haven, Wozniacki defeatedNadia Petrova 6–3, 3–6, 6–3 in the final for her third consecutive title there. By virtue of this, she also won the 2010 US Open Series.
Wozniacki was the top seed at the US Open, due to the withdrawal of World No. 1 Serena Williams. She cruised through to the fourth round with the loss of just 3 games. There, she defeated the 2006 US Open champion Maria Sharapova 6–3, 6–4. She then defeated unseededDominika Cibulková 6–2, 7–5 in the quarterfinals but was upset by Vera Zvonareva in the semifinals by a score of 6–4, 6–3. With her semifinal appearance, Wozniacki became only one of two women (the other being Venus Williams) to have reached at least the fourth round of all 4 Grand Slam events in 2010.
Wozniacki's first tournament during the Asian hardcourt season was the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo. She won back to back three setters against Victoria Azarenka and Elena Dementieva, the latter of which she beat 1–6, 6–2, 6–3 to win her fifth title of the year.
She then entered the Beijing, where after a first round bye, she defeated Sara Errani 6–4, 6–2. In the third round, Wozniacki faced Petra Kvitova (who had heavily defeated her at Wimbledon). Avenging the loss, Wozniacki won the match 6–3, 6–2, replacing World No. 1 Serena Williams as the new World No.1 in the process. She is the second youngest player in WTA history to reach the number 1 position without having won a Grand Slam. She also became the first, and only Danish woman to reach the top ranking. In the quarterfinals, she defeated resurgent former World No.1 Ana Ivanović 7-6(1), 6-4. This was Wozniacki's first win over the Serbian. She then defeated Shahar Peer in the semifinal and Vera Zvonareva in the final to win her sixth title of the year and twelfth overall.
[edit]Equipment
Wozniacki currently plays with a Babolat AeroPro Drive GT Racquet. She strings with Babolat Revenge 16 in the mains and Babolat VS Natural ThermoGut 16 Touch in the crosses at 25 kg. She has a contract with Adidas. She was named by Adidas to be the global face of their Stella McCartney tennis line in 2009.
As the 2nd seed at Indian Wells, Wozniacki reached the final, despite dropping a set to three players en route. She was defeated by Jelena Janković 6–2, 6–4. With the result, she again achieved a new career high rank of World No. 2.[8] At the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, Wozniacki lost in the quarterfinals to the newly returned Justine Henin 6–7(5), 6–3, 6–4.
Her next tournament was at Ponte Vedra Beach, where she defeated Olga Govortsova 6–2, 7–5 in the final. Wozniacki then competed at the Family Circle Cup in Charleston. She advanced to the semifinals, where she met Vera Zvonareva. Wozniacki was forced to retire down 5–2 after she rolled her ankle chasing down a short ball at 4–2. The injury was cited as serious.
Despite her ongoing ankle injury, she continued to compete in tournaments through the clay court season, suffering early losses in Stuttgart, Rome, Madrid, and Warsaw. Despite her poor clay court season, Wozniacki was seeded 3rd at the French Open. She posted her best result at Roland Garros by advancing to the fourth round, without having dropped a set. There, it took almost three hours for Wozniacki to defeat Flavia Pennetta of Italy 7–6(5), (4)6–7, 6–2. In the quarter finals she lost to Francesca Schiavone, the eventual champion, 6–3, 6–2. Wozniacki partnered Daniela Hantuchová in doubles, but withdrew before their second round match with the Williams sisters due to a right shoulder injury to Hantuchová.
As the defending champion, Wozniacki lost early at the AEGON International, her first grass court tournament of the year. Wozniacki was seeded 3rd at the 2010 Wimbledon Championships. She defeated Tathiana Garbin, Chang Kai-chen and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova en route to the fourth round, where she was crushed by Petra Kvitová 6–2, 6–0.
Wozniacki was the number 1 seed at the 2010 e-Boks Danish Open. It was the first Danish WTA tournament and was created largely because of Wozniacki's popularity in Denmark. She reached the final where she defeated Klara Zakopalova to win her second title of the year.
In Cincinnati, she lost in the third round to Marion Bartoli 6–4, 6–1. As the number 2 seed in Montreal, Wozniacki was forced to wait two days to play her semifinal match with Svetlana Kuznetsova because of heavy rain. She defeated Kuznetova and Vera Zvonareva back-to-back for her third singles title of the year. As the top seed at New Haven, Wozniacki defeatedNadia Petrova 6–3, 3–6, 6–3 in the final for her third consecutive title there. By virtue of this, she also won the 2010 US Open Series.
Wozniacki was the top seed at the US Open, due to the withdrawal of World No. 1 Serena Williams. She cruised through to the fourth round with the loss of just 3 games. There, she defeated the 2006 US Open champion Maria Sharapova 6–3, 6–4. She then defeated unseededDominika Cibulková 6–2, 7–5 in the quarterfinals but was upset by Vera Zvonareva in the semifinals by a score of 6–4, 6–3. With her semifinal appearance, Wozniacki became only one of two women (the other being Venus Williams) to have reached at least the fourth round of all 4 Grand Slam events in 2010.
Wozniacki's first tournament during the Asian hardcourt season was the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo. She won back to back three setters against Victoria Azarenka and Elena Dementieva, the latter of which she beat 1–6, 6–2, 6–3 to win her fifth title of the year.
She then entered the Beijing, where after a first round bye, she defeated Sara Errani 6–4, 6–2. In the third round, Wozniacki faced Petra Kvitova (who had heavily defeated her at Wimbledon). Avenging the loss, Wozniacki won the match 6–3, 6–2, replacing World No. 1 Serena Williams as the new World No.1 in the process. She is the second youngest player in WTA history to reach the number 1 position without having won a Grand Slam. She also became the first, and only Danish woman to reach the top ranking. In the quarterfinals, she defeated resurgent former World No.1 Ana Ivanović 7-6(1), 6-4. This was Wozniacki's first win over the Serbian. She then defeated Shahar Peer in the semifinal and Vera Zvonareva in the final to win her sixth title of the year and twelfth overall.
[edit]Equipment
Wozniacki currently plays with a Babolat AeroPro Drive GT Racquet. She strings with Babolat Revenge 16 in the mains and Babolat VS Natural ThermoGut 16 Touch in the crosses at 25 kg. She has a contract with Adidas. She was named by Adidas to be the global face of their Stella McCartney tennis line in 2009.
Source: Wikipedia
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