The US Open is Caroline Wozniacki’s tournament. The No. 5 seed has had her greatest success here in Flushing Meadows and frankly you can consider it her home tournament since she actually lives in New York.
“I love this tournament,” she said after beating Romanian Mihaela Buzarnescu in straight sets, 6-1 7-5. It’s my favorite tournament of the year. I think it’s very special. I always get great support. So, yeah, it definitely is a very special tournament to me.”
Wozniacki, now 27, went to the Final twice (2009, 2015) and the Semifinal three times (2010, 2011, 2016) at the US Open and only made the Semis once in the other three Grand Slams combines (2011 in Australia.)
So, with such a wide open field, you have to think if she is on her game, she can make a run this year, especially without Serena Williams, who is about to give birth to her first child.
“I think obviously Serena is always, you know, the favorite when she plays, and she’s at a level on her own when she’s playing her best tennis,” Woznizcki said. “But, you know, we’re here, and I think everyone has a shot if they play their best. But it’s all about playing well for two weeks.”
Today, though Wozniacki was playing a little blind, since she last played Buzarnescu in juniors. In fact, “Until yesterday I thought she was a righty, then I realized she was a lefty,” she said. “Yeah, I just kind of had to feel my way through that one.”
And she is still getting used to the new USTA National Tennis Center, which has gone through renovations the last few years.
Today, she played on the Grandstand, which opened last year and although it bears the same name as the recently demolished Stadium No. 3, there’s no comparison.
“I have kind of some sentiments to the old grandstand. It was very cozy. It was very close. I really loved that court,” she said. “This court is also awesome, but it’s obviously bigger and just wider. I think the atmosphere in there is great, too. But it’s just two different feels.”
But she will get used to it as the weeks go along. She plays Russian Ekaterina Makarova in the next round, which Wozniacki has a perfect 7-0 record against.
And she should know Makarova is lefthanded.
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