After more than three years away from grand slam tennis, Caroline Wozniacki has continued a triumphant return with a second round win at the US Open over Petra Kvitova.
It hardly looked like she had left after winning 7-5, 7-6(5) in a thrilling contest at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The former world No.1 walked away from tennis to have a family after the 2020 Australian Open and has only played sporadically since.
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Speaking after her latest win, the Danish ace said she never thought she’d return after effectively retiring from the sport.
“Being out here on Arthur Ashe Stadium, night session, playing in front of a packed crowd – this couldn’t be better,” said Wozniacki.
“It’s a dream come true. If you had asked me three years ago, I would have said I’d never be back here playing on this court.
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“To be back and to beat the world no.11 feels very, very special.”
Kvitova saved two match points before extending the second set to a tiebreak, at which point Wozniacki put the pedal down.
Ultimately, unforced errors proved costly for the Czech star. While Wozniacki made just 13 errors, Kvitova recorded 39 all told.
It marked the first time since 2018 that Wozniacki had beaten a WTA player ranked inside the top 20.
Ironically, the last time she did that was also against Kvitova.
Wozniacki hailed her return to Flushing Meadows and the sheer confidence she had leading into the tournament.
“I love New York. I love this court. I love everything about this city,” said Wozniacki.
“As soon as I came here, I instantly felt so comfortable on these courts and knew I could play some great tennis and I’d be dangerous in the draw.
“Petra is an amazing champion. She’s beaten me many times before but I’ve also beaten her a few times.
“Obviously we knew each other’s game very well but I’m just so happy I was the one who came out on top today.”
Wozniacki will face Jennifer Brady in the third round of the US Open. The American beat 24th seed Magda Linette 6-1, 2-6, 6-2 earlier in the day.