Caroline Wozniacki could have been forgiven, at times, for thinking she was looking into a mirror on the other side of the net. Her opponent, 20-year-old Simona Halep of Romania, is a 5-foot-6 baseliner with a two-handed backhanded and a steady baseline game that at times resembles Wozniacki’s.
But the comparison only goes so far, and if Wozniacki’s 6-2, 6-3 win over the No. 53 Halep showed us anything, it’s how tough an opponent she remains to break down. The two traded holds until Halep served at 2-3. At that point, Halep’s concentration wavered for a split second, a couple of loose errors followed, and the set was essentially over. Wozniacki may be struggling against higher-ranked players and bigger hitters, but she never needed to leave her comfort zone today. She kept the winners and errors low, kept her returns, especially on the backhand side, forceful and deep, approached the net when she could, and ran out to a 6-2, 3-0 lead.
Wozniacki’s recent losses must have taken some mental toll, though, because she grew shaky trying to close out what had appeared to be a routine win. She was broken for 2-3 and for 3-4 before finally wrapping it up. Her forehand, always her weaker wing, betrayed her on a couple of occasions. Some of this can be chalked up to Halep’s ball-striking ability. For an undersized player, she packs a punch, and she can flatten out a forehand in a way that Wozniacki normally can’t. The Romanian has been stradily climbing the rankings for the last three years, and it doesn’t appear that climb is over.
Still, she was only going to climb so far today. The most telling moment came when Halep was serving at 3-4, 30-40, break point in the second set. Over the previous four games, she had built a little momentum and taken control of some of the rallies , but she needed this point. The two engaged in a long rally; when it became clear that Wozniacki wasn’t going to blink, Halep tried a desperation bailout drop shot. It floated hopelessly into the bottom of the net.
Wozniacki is no longer No. 1, but she can still drive an opponent to despair. We'll see if she can do it to another former top woman player, Ana Ivanovic, in the next round.
â€"Steve Tignor
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