Monday, September 5, 2011
Flash back to two years ago at the 2009 US Open, when the round of 16 featured a gritty matchup between Svetlana Kuznetsova and Caroline Wozniacki. On that day, the two women battled out a three-set match that included two tiebreak sets, with the Dane leaving as the victor. That was the year Wozniacki charged all the way to the final.
Now fast forward to 2011 in the same round, with the same match-up.
Other than the fact that Wozniacki is now the world No. 1 and top seed, not much else has changed since then. Again, the Dane took the scenic route to the quarterfinals, including another tiebreaker and a come-from-behind 6-7(6), 7-5, 6-1 victory to advance after nearly three hours.
Wozniacki admitted that she was thinking back to that 2009 matchup, mainly as an inspiration to help her believe that she could still come back from a set down to win.
“It was definitely on my mind because last time we played here, it was the same round, and I lost the first set but I still fought back and won,” Wozniacki said. “But remembering that match, I knew I had the ability to win it, so I just had to keep fighting. I felt like she had control of the match at some points, but in tennis I knew that one ball can change everything, and I was able to push her back and turn things around in my favor.”
Kuznetsova, the 2004 champion and 2007 runner-up here, produced a performance riddled with unforced errors, 78 of them in fact, which proved to be the deciding factor in her loss. Though Kuznetsova also fired off a relentless amount of winners (40), Wozniacki’s defensive game simply outlasted the Russian’s tiring, aggressive attack.
“I made lots of unforced errors, but because I was trying to come very aggressive and to dictate, and I was doing this,” said Kuznetsova, who also admitted that with her lack of match play lately, she didn’t feel conditioned enough to hold a consistent level of play through the third set. “And she was a wall, you know. To break a wall, you cannot hit hard. You have to mix it up. I think I did the right things. I just couldn't close it up in the right moments.”
If the match could be compared to anything, it would be a pendulum, as there were frequent shifts and swings in momentum between the players.
After six service breaks were split between them to start the match, the last of which Kuznetsova lost at love, the first set would be decided in a tiebreak. The Russian chipped away at Wozniacki’s 5-2 lead, eventually getting to 6-6 before taking the first set on two consecutive unforced errors from Wozniacki.
Kuznetsova’s momentum from her comeback in the breaker carried into the second set. She put the pressure on the Dane early, using a penetrating forehand to control the points and fire off a few inside-out winners for a 3-0 lead. The Russian’s forehand continued to be the proven weapon of choice, as she used it to set herself up for countless winners, approach shots and volleys. It was a weapon the world No. 1 just could not find a way to neutralize.
But the more Kuznetsova went for aggressive shots, the more it wore her down, and unforced errors again resurfaced. A momentum shift in the seventh game gave Wozniacki a break to put her back in it 4-3, then evened the score with a hold. Three more traded breaks gave Wozniacki a 6-5 lead and a chance to force a third set on her serve, which she did.
As expected, Wozniacki rode her momentum into the third set, breaking the Russian twice for a 4-1 lead. And the pendulum swing stopped there.
Though both women traded long and exhausting rallies the entire set, fatigue got the better of Kuznetsova, and her once free-swinging shots turned into tired and unwieldy swats at the ball, allowing Wozniacki to break in the final game and claim the win.
Now the question remains to be answered whether Wozniacki can repeat her 2009 performance and again reach the final. The next obstacle in her way will be a quarterfinal contest against Andrea Petkovic. But Wozniacki believes her strong mentality in a match is her biggest advantage against any opponent, and it will serve her well on the road to the final.
“I’m here where I am because I know how to fight and never give up,” she said.
Match Facts
- Wozniacki hit 20 winners and 26 unforced errors.
- The first set lasted 75 minutes, the second lasted 66 minutes, and the third set was 41 minutes.
Arthur Ashe Stadium - Women's Singles - 4th Round
Caroline Wozniacki DEN (1) 66 7 6
Svetlana Kuznetsova RUS (15) 78 5 1
An Interview With Caroline Wozniacki
Monday, September 5, 2011
Q. What were the conditions like with the wind? Did it feel like you played for three hours?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Well, the wind was pretty strong out there today. It came from the back and just went that way, one side. Yeah, I mean, from one side you really had to hit through the ball to get it going, and from the other side you had to watch out not to play too deep. Yeah, I mean, it was a tough match, a good battle out there. Yeah, we've had a few of those before, and here two years ago at the US Open.
Q. Could you hear Roger and Juan saying bad words because your match kept going on?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I don't think I could hear that while I was out on court.
Q. How hard do you think it is for those two to be playing right now?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Well, last year I played second night match after Rafa where the night session started late. I came on at around 12:00 and finished at 1:00, so I've been there.
Q. Does that give you momentum to get it done fast?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Well, Roger is doing a pretty good job out there now. But it's always tough to start that late. But, you know, for me I was just focusing on myself. I was just trying to win.
Q. At what point were you confident you had this match won?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I don't think you know for sure. I mean, I was down 4-1 in the second and I came back, so I just kept fighting, I kept going for every point.
Q. Could you sense her getting tired when she took a long break at the end of the second set?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Yeah, she took a long break. I think she wanted to regroup and try to just stay positive. I knew I had to try to get a good start, and I did. You know, I started stepping closer to the baseline and tried to dictate the game more.
Q. What happened in the tiebreaker?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I don't know. I think I was standing against the wind at that point. Suddenly we changed sides and I made a double fault. You know, it was just about timing. You know, she also went a little bit more for my second serve when I served a second serve. She went for the shot. I think it also put a bit more pressure on me to try to keep it deep. Yeah, you know, tennis, it's a funny game. You never know what's gonna happen. You know, I was just happy that I could turn it around in the second set and close the match.
Q. Did you really feel like you had to turn it around, or did you feel that you played her before and she was going to start missing?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: No, I knew that I had to do something. I had to do something different. I had to step into the court because she had the momentum going. She was stepping into the court. I was standing too far behind so I knew I had to change something. She was playing very well. I was like, Okay, she still needs to win eight more points to win the match and it's not easy to close it out.
Q. It didn't seem at any point that you got down on yourself. There wasn't negative body language. You seemed very positive. Your internal thoughts, do you ever get down on yourself?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: It's important to stay positive. If I would have been negative on myself, I definitely would not have turned the match around. You know, I'm a fighter. I fight for every point no matter what the score is. It paid off today. Tennis, again, it's a funny sport. You have to just keep going.
Q. Would you classify this as a momentum type of win for you, confidence builder?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Well, it definitely gives you confidence to pull this match out. I felt like I played some good tennis out there. We had some unbelievable rallies at some points. I was moving very well. I think I handled the wind pretty well, as well. So, you know, I'm just happy to be through to the quarterfinals. I could have been sitting here and been out already. But I'm very proud of what I've achieved today.
Q. How much of this victory do you attribute to your mental toughness?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Well, a lot. Mental and physical. Definitely those two were key today.
Q. How do you develop that mental fortitude?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I think first it's something that you -- it's just your personality and also you get the experience when you play a lot of matches. Once you've been on tour for a long time, you get the experience. But, you know, I mean, it's not going to be the first or the last time that I'm gonna come back after a match like this. But it's not gonna be a first or last time that you're gonna lose a match like that. It's sports. You know, today I'm happy I was the one on top and hopefully next match I can play well and we'll see what happens.
Q. You had tough losses at Roland Garros and Wimbledon. Talk about how actually getting the big win today really feels to you.
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Well, you know, Wimbledon and the French Open is in the past already. I'm just looking forward. I still think I've had a great year. You know, I'm playing good tennis. Again, I'm happy. I love playing here in New York. It's a great tournament for me. I love playing out there in the night session, Arthur Ashe, it's a really great feeling. So definitely a boost to be out there again.
Q. When you were talking about the physical part, when you get into these things where it looks like it's going to take a long time to win a match, in your mind do you feel you have a physical edge on pretty much whoever is standing over there?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I know I'm in great shape. I'm working so hard off the court, as well. I know I can be out there for hours and hours. It's great to know that, and it's great to know that it doesn't matter how long the match takes. I mean, I will not lose because I'm not physically well.
Q. Do you notice when the opponent is breathing heavily, seems to be suffering?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Well, you do, and you try to use it for your own advantage.
Q. The last time you played Petkovic was Miami, right?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Stuttgart.
Q. Talk about the matchup a little bit. She's in pretty good form.
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: She's in a good form. She's a good competitor. She's hitting hard from both sides, having a good serve. She's having a good two weeks here, as well. It's not going to be an easy match. The quarterfinals is never easy. I'm just excited to be out there again, get another match.
Q. I asked you last week about playing doubles. There are a lot of men's players that would like to play mixed doubles with you. If you had to pick a player to play mixed doubles with, who would you pick?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Bob Bryan.
Q. Why would you pick him and not his brother?
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Well, first, first of all, Bob is staying on the forehand side and I would be staying on the backhand side. Bob is a fun guy. You know, I'm sure we could play some good doubles together. Well, definitely he would be playing well. I would just be having to put a few balls in, serve well. It would be fine.
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