NEW YORK—Caroline Wozniacki has top billing as far as seeds go on the women’s side of this year’s US Open, but so much has been made about what she does not have. Her serve does not light up the radar guns. Power is not an essential part of her game, either, and with the way the sport has evolved, some perceive that as a fatal flaw.
Nobody has beaten Wozniacki here yet, though, and it is possible no one will, because she forces opponents to beat themselves.
That was never more evident than in Monday’s 6-3, 6-4 victory over Maria Sharapova, when the 20-year-old Dane of Polish descent made a statement not only about her standing in the tournament, but her place among the world’s best players going forward.
Sure, Wozniacki reached the US Open final last year, losing in straight sets to Kim Clijsters, but this was an important step in her maturation, considering the circumstances.
Her Round-of-16 triumph over the 14th seed and former Open champion Sharapova was as close to flawless as you can get, as Wozniacki earned the most impressive of her career so far before a crowd of 22,000-plus inside Arthur Ashe Stadium.
“I’ve improved a lot, not only physically, but also I believe in myself more,” said Wozniacki, who will meet Slovakia’s Dominika Cibulkova in Wednesday’s quarterfinals. “I believe I can do it.”
If Wozniacki manages to win her first Grand Slam later this week, she would earn the $1-million bonus that comes with winning both the US Open and the US Open Series in addition to taking the No. 1 ranking away from Serena Williams.
Williams, a three-time US Open champ, did not enter this year after she sustained injuries to her feet. Meanwhile, Wozniacki has gone 18-1 since Wimbledon and is currently on a 12-match winning streak, second-longest to Venus Williams in 2010.
Wozniacki was able to pressure Sharapova into taking unnecessary chances by extending several rallies beyond 20-plus strokes, which led to 36 unforced errors for the 23-year-old Russian compared to just 10 for the top seed.
“I think [long rallies are] good for the crowd,” Wozniacki said. “It just feels great when you feel like you’re hitting the ball right, it’s in the middle of your racket and the ball does whatever you want it to do.”
Wozniacki has apparently bought into the whole “Image is Everything” mantra popularized by André Agassi in the 1990s. As with Venus Williams and her much-publicized sense of style, Wozniacki has garnered attention for being the new face of adidas tennis and the Stella McCartney-designed dresses she wears for matches, including a rather short one on Monday.
“I think it’s nice,” she said. “I definitely am sure I’ll get a lot of male fans now.”
Whether that’s the case or not, Wozniacki’s on-court focus seems to be unwavering in her pursuit of what would be the first Grand-Slam title of her career.
“Well, I’m still the same person. I’m just playing better tennis than I was before,” Wozniacki said. “My life is changing the way that I believe in myself. I know when I go on court I have the possibility to win against every player out there.
“And for me, you know, the tennis is most important at the moment. Everything off the court, it’s just a plus.”
Yet as Wozniacki found out, that notoriety doesn’t hurt when shopping in Manhattan.
“Just walking around the city [Sunday], a lot of people knew who I was...going into the shops, very helpful, nice people,” she said, drawing laughs. “Definitely more people know who I am now.”
Cibulkova eliminated 2004 US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia, 7-5, 7-6 (4).
The 5-foot-3 Cibulkova, a semifinalist at the 2009 French Open, was treated for a left-leg problem between sets but still managed to scurry around, covering ground, to improve to 2-8 against top-15 players this season—with both victories against 11th-seed Kuznetsova, who double-faulted 10 times on Monday.
Asked to assess Wozniacki, Cibulkova said admiringly: “She’s really consistent, and she can keep the level that she’s playing the whole match.”
The other quarterfinal on that side of the draw will be No. 31 Kaia Kanepi of Estonia against No. 7 Vera Zvonareva, who overwhelmed No. 38 Andrea Petkovic of Germany, 6-1, 6-2. Russia’s Zvonareva, the runner-up at Wimbledon in July, reached the US Open quarterfinals for the first time.
Earlier, Kanepi did the same by coming back to defeat 2009 US Open semifinalist Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium, 0-6, 7-6 (2), 6-1.
Djokovic, Federer advance
Third-seed Novak Djokovic reached the men’s quarterfinals for the fourth consecutive year by outclassing No. 19 Mardy Fish, 6-3, 6-4, 6-1. Fish’s exit leaves one US man in the tournament, No. 20 Sam Querrey, who plays his fourth-round match on Tuesday against No. 25 Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland.
Serbia’s Djokovic, the 2007 US Open runner-up and 2008 Australian Open champion, next faces No. 17 Gael Monfils, a 6-4, 7-5, 7-5 winner over Richard Gasquet in an all-French matchup.
Another quarterfinal will pit five-time US Open champion Roger Federer against No. 5 Robin Soderling of Sweden, a two-time French Open finalist whose upset of Federer in that round at Paris this year ended his record streak of reaching the semifinals at 23 consecutive Grand-Slam tournaments.
Federer reached the quarterfinals at a 26th major in a row by beating No. 13 Jurgen Melzer of Austria, 6-3, 7-6 (4), 6-3.
Soderling hit 15 aces and did not face a single break point after the first set of his 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 win against No. 21 Albert Montanes of Spain.
(With AP)
In Photo: Caroline Wozniacki continues her remarkable run, losing only 10 games in four matches. (AP)
