Wozniacki Steamrolls Vinci to Win First Title of the Year

July 21, 2014 | By New York Tennis Magazine Staff

Caroline Wozniacki defeated Roberta Vinci to win her 22nd career title on Sunday, routing Vinci 6-1, 6-1 to capture the TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Open championship.

The top-seeded Wozniacki faced no trouble against her second-seeded opponent as she wrapped the match up in just 67 minutes. The 24-year old Dane had faced close calls in two of her previous matches, going to three sets against Karin Knapp and Karolina Pliskova, but rolled past the Italian in straight sets.

“I served well and pushed her around the court,” said Wozniacki after the match.

Her assessment couldn’t have been more accurate as it was the serve that allowed Wozniacki to handle Vinci. She won all seven of her service games and picked up 76 percent of her first-serve points while also saving all six break points she faced.

On the other side, Vinci had her serve broken five times and dropped the final three of her service games. She had not dropped a set all tournament along until running into the determined Wozniacki in the final.

“I tried to play aggressively like always but made a lot of mistakes,” said Vinci. “It’s tough to play like that against Caroline because she puts everything back in the court, and it was tough for me to stay in the rallies today. But I’m happy with my week and Caroline just played much better than me.”

The victory marks the 22nd title of the Dane’s career, and she has now won a WTA title every year since winning her first three in 2008. It is the first title for her in 2014 and came just hours before her ex-boyfriend golfer Rory McIlroy captured the British Open title.

“I’m happy to have won my 22nd WTA title—it’s a great feeling!” said the former world number one. “I’ve had a good week and am feeling good on hard courts, which is great moving forward.”

The win moved her into 13th in the world rankings, while Vinci’s run to the title match bumped her up one spot to 23rd.


New York Tennis Magazine Staff
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