Wozniacki holds on to advance to QF in Dubai

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A match that nearly made to midnight came to a close with Caroline Wozniacki as victor. The 26 year old was pushed to play three sets by Kateryna Bondarenko but found a way to win 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship. The win gave the former number one her third quarterfinals appearance in Dubai and one that she was happy to finish at such a late hour.

The two never met before making it an interest third round for the two of them. The 30-year-old Ukrainian got an easy pass as Garbine Muguruza couldn’t play through the first set advancing Bondarenko onward. She had time on court in the tournament in a three-set fight that she came out of with all her effort. Wozniacki would prove to be a tough opponent as she easily dispatched her opponents both in straight sets. With a quarterfinals appearance on the line it would be an important break for either one to find control in the opening set.

Both ends had their games going smoothly with Bondarenko leading the way on service. After taking a 3-2 lead, she went for the opening break in the sixth but was denied that chance leaving things to move forward on serve.  Bondarenko continued to be a strong force to challenge Wozniacki pressuring the Dane at every chance.

She turned the tables in the eighth gaining leverage on the break before striking for the win that gave her a 5-3 hold. The world number 79 was in top form winning 11 of her last 13 points. She fired an ace for three set points where Wozniacki broke down with an unforced error that completed 37 minutes.

Wozniacki took an important turnaround during the break taking advice from father and coach Piotr Wozniacki who urged her to be aggressive in the coming set. She took at face value blasting away at the Ukrainian to build a three-game winning streak. Just when it looked as if she might hang on to the margin, Bondarenko struck back to threaten for control but for a shot at winning in straight sets. She won the next two but just when she was going to level things up at three all, the former number one got the break to lead 4-2.

The unforced errors from Bondarenko only helped Wozniacki reach a chance at taking the set but holding on serve would be her main mission to force the match to the distance. Before she got the chance to play for the set, Wozniacki took a medical timeout that left her Ukrainian opponent walking around to keep warm and be active. After ten minutes, the Dane returned to action ready to get back into the match. She got through the fight in the eighth game gaining control on deuce and captured the set forcing a third to be played after 51 minutes.

The third saw Wozniacki lead the way with a win on serve followed by a response from Bondarenko. The two made it interesting playing on serve through five games with the Dane still out front. An important break in the sixth gave her room to inch closer but the Ukrainian had other plans. She dug in deep to get the break but was pushed to deuce by Wozniacki. The two played a 21-shot rally that gave Bondarenko the advantage and won it to come within a game.

A third consecutive break occurred in the set with Wozniacki benefitting from Bondarenko’s unforced errors that killed her chance at holding serve. She had to face the former number one on serve for the match and be the factor to stay alive longer. She scored a point in the ninth but an attempted trick shot only gave Wozniacki match point. Her second attempt was enough to advance to the quarterfinals ending a long night and two hours and seven minutes of play.

“I had to work really hard,” Wozniacki said after the match. “She’s playing really hard and she played aggressively. In the first set I felt like I was one step behind and tried to step into the court in the second. It could have gone both ways in the third but was happy to pull through. She’ll face 17-year-old Catherine Bellis Thursday who won a huge victory over Agnieszka Radwanska in three sets. “She’s a great young player with a lot of confidence but right now I’m gonna enjoy this one and get ready for tomorrow.”