By Richard Pagliaro | Friday, September 1, 2023
Wild card Caroline Wozniacki roared through 12 of the last 14 games defeating Jennifer Brady 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 to reach the US Open fourth round.
Photo credit: Darren Carroll/USTA/US Open
NEW YORK—Tugging on her long blonde braid, Caroline Wozniacki could feel stress spike and separation stretch.
Down a set and 0-2 to Jennifer Brady, Wozniacki was bouncing behind the baseline sending a message: Every point will come at a physical price.
More: Djokovic on Swiatek
Wild card Wozniacki gave Brady the runaround rolling through 12 of the final 14 games for a 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 triumph that sends her into the US Open fourth round for the seventh time.
The former No. 1 who famously completed the New York City Marathon took a massive major step in her comeback. One round after she swept two-time Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova, Wozniacki produced the most dynamic tennis of her comeback stopping 2021 Australian Open finalist Brady and beaming with joy afterward.
Ten mothers were among the 128 women who started this US Open singles draw and now the 33-year-old Wozniacki, who plays with her young daughter Olivia on her days off, and Elina Svitolina are the only two moms still standing.
“I think as a competitor and as an athlete you always want to win— you go out there and believe in yourself,” Wozniacki told Blair Henley and Ashe stadium fans in her on-court interview afterward. “Thank you for supporting me today. It’s a dream come true…
“I didn’t think I was going to be here again when I retired three years ago and had my two kids but to be able to play here, I mean what an honor this is.”
Relying on her fast feet, fitness and fierce crosscourt backhand, Wozniacki wore Brady down in a clash of comeback competitors.
The 2018 Australian Open champion won 16 of the last 19 points played on her serve as she improved to 41-13 lifetime at the US Open. Wozniacki credited one key tactical adjustment to completely shifting the match in her favor.
“I was a little surprised at my backhand today,” Wozniacki said. “Normally my backhand down the line is a money shot and it wasn’t working today.
“At love-2 down I decided I’m just going to keep going crosscourt. I felt I played really, really well for the last set and a half.”
The victory vaults Wozniacki into a fourth-round showdown with either red-hot Coco Gauff or 32nd-seeded Belgian Elise Mertens next. Wozniacki is 5-1 lifetime in US Open fourth-round matches.
For much of the opening set, Brady was belting her forehand with big ambition causing Wozniacki to defend.
Thirty-nine minutes into the match, Wozniacki slapped her signature shot, the two-handed backhand, into net to face triple set point. Leaning over, a frustrated Wozniacki swiped her black-and-yellow Babolat racquet off the blue court three times in a row.
Pushing Brady into the corner, Wozniacki lined up a mid-court forehand, but swept that shot long as Brady broke for the second time to seize a one-set lead.
On the surface, it seemed two-time finalist Wozniacki would play steadier tennis while shotmaker Brady would be prone to more periods of hit-and-miss.
In reality, Brady played cleaner tennis in the opening set, committing 10 unforced errors compared to 15 for Wozniacki, whose forehand let her down at times.
Seeing some frailty on the former No. 1’s forehand wing, Brady continued playing high, heavy topspin to the Dane’s forehand wing. Wozniacki, who tends to predictably play the forehand crosscourt, tried to take it down the line but found the net instead as Brady broke for a 2-0 lead.
Dropping a set for the first time in the tournament, Wozniacki adapted.
Wozniacki needed to make a stand and did it, scraping a low ball back to coax an error to break back. That break prompted husband, former NBA all star David Lee, to leap from his seat in a show of support.
Wasting no time between points, Wozniacki was often up at the service line ready to go before Brady. Though it wasn’t a warm day, Wozniacki’s physicality started to take a toll on Brady, playing just her fourth tournament since 2021 Cincinnati, who was leaning over at times gulping in air and touching her knee at times.
Continuously moving the ball corner-to-corner, Wozniacki was winning the longer points as she broke against for 4-3.
The two-time US Open finalist worked through a tense hold to back up the break for 5-3—it was Wozniacki’s fifth of the last six games played.
A weary Brady was flat-footed when she slapped a routine smash into net from inside the service line as she fell into double set point hole. Playing as a moveable wall, Wozniacki hit everything back, often playing to the American’s backhand, and drew one final error to take the second set and force a decider after 86 minutes.
"She started doing what I was doing to her but the opposite," Brady said. "Playing really smart and kind of just me having lack of matches, not really being able to train the way that I would have liked to. Maybe physically just not being able to maintain that level that I had in the first set.
"I would have loved to keep the intensity up. Over time, I just felt the legs were getting a little bit heavier. She was starting to break me down there, just making a few extra balls. My ball just didn't have the same heaviness or impact that it did in the first set."
At last month’s Wimbledon Legends, Wozniacki partnered Cara Black in doubles. Today, the Dane dished a drop volley winner capping a hold to start the final set.
Dropping to deuce in the next game, Brady leaned over and clutched at her knee while shaking her head in frustration. Surveying the scene from the opposite side of the net, Wozniacki quickly broke again for 2-0.
A flagging Brady knew she had to play closer to the lines to shorten points, but Wozniacki wasn’t cooperating. The Dane’s depth didn’t provide much opportunity for Brady. Wozniacki rapped a backhand winner down the line for break point and bolted a forehand winner breaking again for a 4-0 lead.
The two-time US Open finalist extended her lead to 5-0 and eventually ended a resounding comeback win in one hour, 58 minutes.