Caroline Wozniacki headed into the United States Open with an air of confidence that belied her status as a player making a comeback from a long hiatus. She was going to just her third tournament, and first major event, since announcing her return to competitive tennis two months ago. And, for those keen on handicapping title prospects, her first trek to the court in three and a half years — an invitational doubles stint in Wimbledon — could not even be counted. Which meant that all she had going for her was a second-round exit at the Canadian Open earlier this month. Still, she believed in herself, and in her capacity to make an impact in Flushing Meadows.
For all the illogic involved in Wozniacki’s disposition, however, there can be no discounting the result of her latest foray at Arthur Asha Stadium. Considering how she, a wild-card entrant ranked 623rd in the world, managed to upend 11th-seed Petra Kvitova yesterday, there is, in fact, reason to believe her when she says she is “hitting as well as I ever have.” Never mind that comparisons to her peak as World Number One and major champion naturally arise as a result. Forget that she’s a proud mother of two and a mere year removed from picking up a racket in earnest.
In any case, Wozniacki no doubt drew from her experience in forging her latest triumph. She had previously won six of 14 matches against Kvitova, including the last, a three-setter at the WTA Finals in Singapore. It may have been half a decade ago, but it nonetheless appeared to be significant in fueling her self-assurance. As she noted in her post-mortem yesterday, “we knew each other’s game very well. I’m just so happy that I was the one who came out on top today.” Indeed, although for a while there, she seemed to let nerves get the better of her. Leading five to four in the second set, she wasted two match points and allowed her opponent to force a tiebreak. She righted the ship on time, though, taking care of business to advance to the third round in style.
Up next for Wozniacki is 433rd-ranked Jennifer Brady, and another victory looks to be in the cards. Although the latter is likewise in a resurgence after a three-set upset of Magda Linette, she’s heavily favored to advance to the Round of 16 and set a possible meeting with crowd favorite Coco Gauff. Make no mistake. She knows she’s in “a dream come true. If you had asked me three years ago, I would have said I’ll never be back here.” All the same, she’s bent on showing nothing but her best from here on. There are no limits to excellence, and she’s living proof of the tenet.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and human resources management, corporate communications, and business development.