Healthy Wozniacki Gets Back on the Winning Track at U.S. Open

August 29, 2016 | By New York Tennis Magazine Staff
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Photo credit: Lee Seidner

Caroline Wozniacki comes into this year’s U.S. Open finally healthy, after a year of battling injuries, but she is also in unfamiliar territory being unseeded.

In her first match of the 2016 U.S. Open, she drew young American Taylor Townsend, playing the first ever match on the new 8,000-seat revamped Grandstand. Fans seeing this court for the first time were treated to a highly entertaining match that lasted two-plus hours and in the end, it was the former world number one and two-time U.S. Open finalist Wozniacki coming back from dropping the first set for the 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 win.

After dropping the first set, Wozniacki came out strong in the second set, breaking Townsend in her first service game. She never gave that break back and forced a third set. In the third, the two traded service holds until the ninth game where at 4-4, Wozniacki was able to finally get the break and consolidated it in the next game for the win.

Now ranked 74th in the world, Wozniacki will play the ninth-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova in the second round on Wednesday.

“This is one of those losses that really stings,” said Townsend. “I had so many chances. Overall, I just have to take a positive from it. This is definitely not satisfying for me. I want to go back out on the practice court right now. That's just how I feel … just to get better because I know I'm so close."

The crowd was highly involved throughout the match, rooting for both players. Cheers of "Let’s Go Taylor!" were heard as the pro-American crowd tried to help her through, but fan favorite Wozniacki, who lives in New York for part of the year, was well received as well by the crowd in Flushing Meadows.

Wozniacki said that while the old Grandstand was one of her favorite courts, she was impressed with the new stadium and the upgrades.

"Kuznetsova has been playing well,” said Wozniacki of her round two opponent. “We have had some grueling matches here in the past. I'm looking forward to playing her in the next round."


New York Tennis Magazine Staff
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