By Alberto Amalfi | Sunday, January 4, 2015

 

Caroline Wozniacki attended the ASB Classic player party in Auckland.

Photo Credit: Andrew Cornaga/NZ Festival of Tennis Facebook

 

Serena Williams called her friendship with Caroline Wozniacki "the best thing that happened to me" in 2014. Venus Williams views a potential meeting with her younger sister's tennis BF as an ideal start to 2015.

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Two months removed from completing the New York City marathon — where Serena was waiting for her at the finish line — Wozniacki is the top seed in Auckland and could run into Venus in the final. The 34-year-old Venus is the oldest woman in the draw, but spoke like a woman refreshed from an off-season break.

"I definitely feel the energy and I've been hitting well and I'm looking forward to getting started," Venus told The New Zealand Herald. "Last year was so amazing and I got so close but ran into a better player. It was the first of four finals for me last year and I was actually reflecting on that as I came through security. I was like 'last year wasn't bad' so I'd love to make it a lot better."

Wozniacki faces a qualifier in the first round; Williams will play Jana Cepelova. The quick-footed Danish counter-puncher finished the 2014 season winning 20 of her last 27 matches, reaching the semifinals or better in five of her last seven tournaments.

"She's playing so great and I'm so happy for her because she is a nice person so you like to see nice people do well," said Williams, who has not surrendered a set to Wozniacki in five career meetings. "I've always had a lot of respect for her game and who knows when we'll have a finals meeting, is the draw out? We'll see what happens. I have to get there and that would be fantastic to have a repeat final.

"It would be awesome for the tournament, awesome for both of us to start our year off well but there's going to be a lot of things in our way, namely a lot of really talented players so we'll see what happens."

The 18th-ranked Williams, who lost to Ana Ivanovic in the 2014 Auckland final, is one of six American women in the main draw. Sloane Stephens, CoCo Vandeweghe, wild card Taylor Townsend and Lauren Davis and Shelby Rogers, who meet in Monday's opener, round out the U.S. contingent. Townsend takes on two-time finalist Yanina Wickmayer in the first round with the winner potentially facing Wozniacki in the round of 16.