Hot win for Woz
Wozniacki outlasts Sharapova 6-4 2-6 6-2 in pre-quarters as heat takes toll in US Open
Caroline Wozniacki trusts her stamina so much that she plans to return to New York in two months to run a marathon.
Maria Sharapova, usually the one wearing down opponents in the third set, sure couldn’t keep up on a steamy Sunday at the U.S. Open. Wozniacki won 6-4 2-6 6-2 in 2 hours, 37 minutes to get back to her first Grand Slam quarter-final in more than two years — and get back in the headlines for reasons other than her personal life. “The season for me has been a little bit up and down,” she said in quite an understatement, “and it’s so nice to kind of start feeling like I’m playing the way I want to.”
Her tardiness seemed to swing the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd’s support squarely in Wozniacki’s favor. When the 10th-seeded Dane broke Sharapova at love to go up 3-1 in the final set, she got a standing ovation from the fans and waved her arms to egg them on. Sharapova had appeared to hit a winner three times on that game's final point only for Wozniacki to somehow chase down the ball.
Finally, Sharapova put a volley into the net. Wozniacki mixed in just enough aggression with her signature defense to keep the pressure on Sharapova in the final set.
“She’s very good at getting a lot of balls back and making you hit another one,” Sharapova said. “In the end, I went for a little too much.”
She insisted the conditions didn’t bother her. Sharapova had been 17-6 in three-set matches this year, including her come-from-behind second-round victory here.
The fifth-seeded Sharapova’s loss leaves No. 1 Serena Williams as the only woman remaining of the top six.
Ninth-seeded Jelena Jankovic was also upset, losing 7-6 (6) 6-3 to 17-year-old Swiss Belinda Bencic. With mentor Martina Hingis cheering from the stands, Bencic became the youngest U.S. Open quarterfinalist since Hingis herself in 1997.
Wozniacki will next face 13th-seeded Sara Errani, who ended the run of qualifier Mirjana Lucic-Baroni with a three-set victory.
Federer marches on
About a half-hour later, thunderstorms halted play with second-seeded Roger Federer down a break in the first set to Marcel Granollers.
Federer acknowledged the two-hour delay helped him regroup. While Granollers won the first set, Federer dominated the rest of the way, winning 4-6 6-1 6-1 6-1. Unlike the women’s draw, the men’s side didn’t lose a top-10 player until Sunday, when fourth-seeded David Ferrer was upset by Gilles Simon in the third round 6-3 3-6 6-1 6-3.
Key Results
Men’s Singles Rd 3: Roger Federer (2) bt Marcel Granollers 4-6 6-1 6-1, 6-1; Gilles Simon (26) bt David Ferrer (4) 6-3 3-6 6-1 6-3; Tomas Berdych (6) bt Teymuraz Gabashvili 6-3 6-2 6-4; Grigor Dimitrov (7) bt David Goffin 0-6 6-3 6-4 6-1; Gael Monfils (20), France, def. Richard Gasquet (12), France, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2.
Marin Cilic (14) bt Kevin Anderson (18), South Africa, 6-3 3-6 6-3 6-4.
Women’s Singles Rd 4 Caroline Wozniacki (10) bt Maria Sharapova (5) 6-4 2-6 6-2; Belinda Bencic bt Jelena Jankovic (9) 7-6 (6) 6-3; Sara Errani (13) bt Mirjana Lucic-Baroni 6-3 2-6 6-0.
Caroline Wozniacki trusts her stamina so much that she plans to return to New York in two months to run a marathon.
Maria Sharapova, usually the one wearing down opponents in the third set, sure couldn’t keep up on a steamy Sunday at the U.S. Open. Wozniacki won 6-4 2-6 6-2 in 2 hours, 37 minutes to get back to her first Grand Slam quarter-final in more than two years — and get back in the headlines for reasons other than her personal life. “The season for me has been a little bit up and down,” she said in quite an understatement, “and it’s so nice to kind of start feeling like I’m playing the way I want to.”
Because of the heat, the players received a 10-minute break before the final set; Sharapova returned to the court late, arguing with the chair umpire after receiving a time violation warning. Perhaps sensing that she was fresher than the five-time major champion, Wozniacki later complained that Sharapova was dawdling between points.
Her tardiness seemed to swing the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd’s support squarely in Wozniacki’s favor. When the 10th-seeded Dane broke Sharapova at love to go up 3-1 in the final set, she got a standing ovation from the fans and waved her arms to egg them on. Sharapova had appeared to hit a winner three times on that game's final point only for Wozniacki to somehow chase down the ball.
Finally, Sharapova put a volley into the net. Wozniacki mixed in just enough aggression with her signature defense to keep the pressure on Sharapova in the final set.
“She’s very good at getting a lot of balls back and making you hit another one,” Sharapova said. “In the end, I went for a little too much.”
She insisted the conditions didn’t bother her. Sharapova had been 17-6 in three-set matches this year, including her come-from-behind second-round victory here.
The fifth-seeded Sharapova’s loss leaves No. 1 Serena Williams as the only woman remaining of the top six.
Ninth-seeded Jelena Jankovic was also upset, losing 7-6 (6) 6-3 to 17-year-old Swiss Belinda Bencic. With mentor Martina Hingis cheering from the stands, Bencic became the youngest U.S. Open quarterfinalist since Hingis herself in 1997.
Wozniacki will next face 13th-seeded Sara Errani, who ended the run of qualifier Mirjana Lucic-Baroni with a three-set victory.
Federer marches on
About a half-hour later, thunderstorms halted play with second-seeded Roger Federer down a break in the first set to Marcel Granollers.
Federer acknowledged the two-hour delay helped him regroup. While Granollers won the first set, Federer dominated the rest of the way, winning 4-6 6-1 6-1 6-1. Unlike the women’s draw, the men’s side didn’t lose a top-10 player until Sunday, when fourth-seeded David Ferrer was upset by Gilles Simon in the third round 6-3 3-6 6-1 6-3.
Key Results
Men’s Singles Rd 3: Roger Federer (2) bt Marcel Granollers 4-6 6-1 6-1, 6-1; Gilles Simon (26) bt David Ferrer (4) 6-3 3-6 6-1 6-3; Tomas Berdych (6) bt Teymuraz Gabashvili 6-3 6-2 6-4; Grigor Dimitrov (7) bt David Goffin 0-6 6-3 6-4 6-1; Gael Monfils (20), France, def. Richard Gasquet (12), France, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2.
Marin Cilic (14) bt Kevin Anderson (18), South Africa, 6-3 3-6 6-3 6-4.
Women’s Singles Rd 4 Caroline Wozniacki (10) bt Maria Sharapova (5) 6-4 2-6 6-2; Belinda Bencic bt Jelena Jankovic (9) 7-6 (6) 6-3; Sara Errani (13) bt Mirjana Lucic-Baroni 6-3 2-6 6-0.
