Caro ready for Aussie Open despite Sydney loss
Posted by carowoz on Jan.08, 2013
Reported by The Herald Sun –
Caroline Wozniacki declared she is ready for the Australian Open despite becoming the highest-profile victim of the extreme heat that engulfed the Apia International yesterday.
With temperatures on Ken Rosewall Arena soaring above 50C, the furnace combined with a hard-hitting Svetlana Kuznetsova to dump the Danish former world No.1 out of the tournament.
It means the 22-year-old world No.10 has now lost in the first and second rounds in Brisbane and Sydney ahead of next week’s Australian Open.
In a match that allowed both players a 10-minute break at the end of the second set as part of the WTA Tour’s heat policy, Wozniacki waned the longer the match went on to fall 7-6 1-6 6-2 after nearly two hours in the heat.
The break turned the match on its head with an under-the-pump Kuznetsova returning full of energy.
“I definitely think the heat break favoured her in the end,” Wozniacki said.
“She got some more energy then and I got a bad start. I was broken straight away.
“It’s no surprise I only won one match here. It seems to be the thing for me every year.
“So I’ll get a few good days of practice, hitting the ball well and hopefully that can give the confidence heading into Melbourne.
“I’ve played some great tennis there and hopefully I can do that again this year.”
Kuznetsova set up a quarter-final match with German No.2 seed Angelique Kerber.
Chinese No.4 seed Li Na also booked a quarter-final match with American qualifier Marion Keys as she beat Japan’s Ayumi Morita 6-1 6-0.
Top seed Agnieszka Radwanska also progressed.
Caroline Wozniacki declared she is ready for the Australian Open despite becoming the highest-profile victim of the extreme heat that engulfed the Apia International yesterday.
With temperatures on Ken Rosewall Arena soaring above 50C, the furnace combined with a hard-hitting Svetlana Kuznetsova to dump the Danish former world No.1 out of the tournament.
It means the 22-year-old world No.10 has now lost in the first and second rounds in Brisbane and Sydney ahead of next week’s Australian Open.
In a match that allowed both players a 10-minute break at the end of the second set as part of the WTA Tour’s heat policy, Wozniacki waned the longer the match went on to fall 7-6 1-6 6-2 after nearly two hours in the heat.
The break turned the match on its head with an under-the-pump Kuznetsova returning full of energy.
“I definitely think the heat break favoured her in the end,” Wozniacki said.
“She got some more energy then and I got a bad start. I was broken straight away.
“It’s no surprise I only won one match here. It seems to be the thing for me every year.
“So I’ll get a few good days of practice, hitting the ball well and hopefully that can give the confidence heading into Melbourne.
“I’ve played some great tennis there and hopefully I can do that again this year.”
Kuznetsova set up a quarter-final match with German No.2 seed Angelique Kerber.
Chinese No.4 seed Li Na also booked a quarter-final match with American qualifier Marion Keys as she beat Japan’s Ayumi Morita 6-1 6-0.
Top seed Agnieszka Radwanska also progressed.
TAGS:my game,on the court
