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Sunshine Shutout: Caroline Wozniacki Rolls Into Third
By Joe McDonald
© Natasha Peterson/Corleve
(September 2, 2010) Sunshine delivered a scalding case of tennis sunstroke on Arthur Ashe Stadium Court today. Top-seeded Caroline Wozniacki shut out Chang Kai-Chen, 6-0, 6-0 in a 47-minute mismatch to storm into the US Open third round.
Wozniacki is nicknamed "Sunshine" for her perpetually positive disposition and you can’t blame the bubbly blond Dane for looking like a woman who lives on happy pills. Since Wimbledon, Wozniacki has been on a torrid tear, posting a 15-1 record and capturing consecutive championships in Montreal and New Haven.
The 2009 US Open runner-up has surrendered just two games in two rounds and both came in her 6-1, 6-1 demolition of Chelsey Gullickson.
Yes, it was just another day at the office for the Danish beauty, who said the added pressure of playing as the top seed for the first time in a major have not altered her aim — Wozniacki is here to win.
"The expectations maybe from the outside has changed, but from myself I always go into a tournament and I want to win it," Wozniacki said. "Doesn't really matter what tournament I'm playing, and I always believe in myself. It's not always possible to win every tournament, but at least I give it a shot."
Can Wozniacki break through to her win her first major in New York?
ESPN analyst Pam Shriver, reached the Open final as a serve-and-volleyer and says Wozniacki has the game and the goods to go all the way — or at least get back to the final.
"Wozniacki looks most confident and is playing some of her best tennis right now," Shriver told Tennis Now today. "It's a tough draw because the other two in her quarter, Maria Sharapova and Svetlana Kuznetsova, are both tough. Wozniacki has been to the final last year and that's always a help. She's a very smooth mover and doesn't tear herself up when she moves whereas Sharapova is a sort of a violent mover."
The 5-foot-10 Wozniacki covers the court as comprehensively as virtually any woman in the field and says she places a premium on effort.
"The only time I get disappointed with myself is if I feel like I haven't given 100 percent," Wozniacki said. "I'm almost always giving 100 percent. It's just about if I lose a match, okay, the opponent was just playing better than me that day, and I need to get back and work harder and be better for next time."
Wozniacki can supplant Serena Williams as the World No. 1 if she wins the Open. She is no longer below the radar, like she was during the first week of last year’s US Open when she was overshadowed by the Melanie Oudin story and then super mom Kim Clijsters, who beat her in the final. Wozniacki, who says she spends some of her down time shopping in Manhattan, cites New York as one of her favorite cities.
"Well, the atmosphere here is great,” she said. "I really love playing here. I mean, it's a great feeling. Also coming back from last year, you know, being in the finals, coming back here and just, yeah, playing on the big courts, it's a great feeling."
Wozniacki, who raised her record to 28-6 on hard courts, has played 60 matches this season, second on the WTA Tour to Flavia Pennetta, who is about to play her 65th match today. She was runner-up to Jelena Jankovic at Indian Wells in March, but sprained her right ankle in Charleston in March and played through the injury, reaching the Roland Garros quarterfinals.
She took time after Wimbledon to recharge her batteries and says she's completely healthy now.
"I'm that type of person that I like to do everything 100 percent," she said. "If I don't feel like I'm practicing 100 percent, it makes me frustrated a little bit, when I have to take care of myself, you know, where I have to take care of my body.
“Charleston was, yeah, it was tough, you know. I got that ankle injury and wasn't feeling great. I had to take care of myself. You know, it's tough when I'm used to doing so much fitness off the court, and I really couldn't do that. It was great for me to have that time off after Wimbledon, and that's where I really started to feel like my ankle was feeling 100 percent and I could really practice 100 percent and go to sleep and feel, okay, today I've really done what I had to do. That's the way I need to progress. It's bringing out the results, and I'm really, really happy now. You know, hopefully I can just stay injury‑free and keep improving."
And now she’s looking to win her first major, even though a potential fourth-round meeting with Sharapova looms, Wozniacki has no fear of that encounter.
"I feel I can beat everybody on a good day. Definitely, I believe it's possible and we have to see. That's a dream for me," Wozniacki said.
Joe McDonald is the publisher of TennisLedger.com where this article originated.
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