Wozniacki, a Dane, and Kerber, a German, have common Polish heritage and have been playing each other for a long time. Something important about her seems changed.
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No. 8 seed Madison Keys was the bigger hitter and favorite on paper Sunday, but unseeded Caroline Wozniacki gave her a lesson in controlled aggression and the mentality of a champion as the former No. 1 upset the American 6-3, 6-4 to move into the quarterfinals at the US Open.
And after overcoming Sevastova, who twisted her ankle in the opening point of the second game, Wozniacki is confident she can call on experience to progress further in the tournament. “At that point I knew I had to kind of step up or else I was going to be going home”, she said. “They have been behind me since basically the first time I stepped out on the big court and people realized that I may become a good player one day”.
Kerber would be No. 1 at the end of this tournament if she wins it or makes the final and Serena Williams doesn’t.
Perhaps buoyed by sleeping in her own bed and eating her mom’s cooking, Wozniacki is feeling good about her play after a poor year that featured a right ankle injury in April. She used to be the best counterpuncher on tour, bar none.
Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark celebrates after winning match point against Madison Keys of the United States. “We are similar in that we are both hard working”. She kept Sevastova pinned deep behind the baseline, often finishing her off with smashes, same as she’d done against Keys in the previous round. However, the Dane now has a Top-10 player to beat, and she hasn’t beaten one all season….except for earlier this very tournament. “It’s totally different watching and playing”.
Wozniacki, whose ranking has slumped to 74 after a series of injury setbacks this year, faces Germany’s Angelique Kerber on Thursday for a place in the US Open final. She didn’t play this assertively or talk with the hint of swagger that occasionally slips out now.
It was another hard loss for Keys, whose huge game has propelled her into the Top 10 on the WTA rankings, but whose mental game has prevented her from going deep into any of the four grand slams. Kim Clijsters beat her in the 2009 final.
Until now, Wozniacki hadn’t been back to a Slam semifinal since. It’s a number she really doesn’t care about, but after this run to the semifinal, that ranking will change substantially. The match began to quickly get away from her, with Wozniacki racing ahead 5-3.
Murray and Soares, the Australian Open champs, posted a 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 victory over the top-seeded team of Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut, who won Wimbledon this year after taking their first Grand Slam title in 2015 at Flushing Meadows.
“I really don’t want to be someone who says ‘I’m retiring, ‘ then, after two weeks, ‘No, I’m not retiring.’ ‘I’m retiring.’ ‘I’m not.’ I don’t know”. Asked on court if Friday’s win was the best comeback of her career, Keys said: “For sure”. But she told herself to have no sympathy.
“I get another day”, Wozniacki said.
“Angie’s had a great year and I’m happy for her”.
On head-to-heads, there’s nothing to look at with these two players.
Wozniacki, 26, applied pressure on her opponent for the hour and five minutes that they played on court.
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Consider it done, his daughter says. “That is something I’m extremely proud of. I know I faced an American, but thank you for cheering me on anyway”.
