World No 1 Caroline Wozniacki has lost just three games on her farcically easy journey to a fourth round appointment with former US Open champion Maria Sharapova here tomorrow. On an afternoon when the tail winds of Hurricane Earl swirled round Flushing Meadows, Wozniacki and Sharapova raced neck and neck to finish their day's work.
In the event, the 20-year-old Dane won by a whisker as she defeated Yung-Jan Chan 6-1, 6-0; yet Sharapova achieved an even more emphatic victory, though, flattening American teenager Beatrice Capra, 6-0, 6-0.
At least, Wozniacki will comprehend that she is actually playing in a major championships, and not a village fete, when she is confronted by Sharapova tomorrow.
'I am not feeling any pressure as No 1 seed,' she said.
Wozniacki's age, and Scandinavian appeal has placed her as a contender to rival Sharapova as the face of women's tennis.
Already she models for designer Stella McCartney. And as the 23-year-old Russian still comes to terms with recovering from a career-threatening injury to her right shoulder, Wozniacki has been industriously compiling an enviable record.
Since Wimbledon she has lost just once in 18 matches.
'There's always periods where you feel you're playing great and you feel like the court is bigger, the balls are bigger,' she explained.
Feeling good at Flyshing Meadows: Caroline Wozniacki'You see everything clearly. Then there are times where, you know, you maybe are not playing so well and you see it as difficult. You know, then the court feels smaller.'
Perhaps her duel with Sharapova could be a defining moment in the career of a player still in search of her first Grand Slam title.
'Definitely, yeah, it would be a great victory,' she said.
'But when I go out there, I really don't think too much who is on the other side. I just want to do what I'm supposed to do out there on court, and I want to win.
'So it really doesn't matter who's on the other side. I feel like I'm playing well, so hopefully I can just keep my roll.'
For Ana Ivanovic, this tournament is proving to be pivotal to the reconstruction of her career.
She has dropped her boyfriend, Australian golf star Adam Scott, and fallen in love with tennis again.
Finding form: Ana Ivanovic has spilt from her boyfriend It is understood Ivanovic brought about the end of her relationship with Scott as her career entered free fall this summer. Once No 1 in the world, Ivanovic's ranking had plunged to No 40 when she walked through the gates here at the US Open.
Her self esteem and confidence came close to hitting rock bottom after she lost in the first round at Wimbledon.
Yet she found she had at least one good friend on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour - Kim Clijsters, the defending US Open champion that she will meet in the fourth >round here at Flushing Meadows today.
'When I was struggling, Kim was messaging me,' said Ivanovic last night.
Fourth seed Jelena Jankovic became the first major casualty in the women's draw when she was defeated by Estonia's Kaia Kanepi 6-2, 7-6 yesterday.
source: dailymail
