Caroline Wozniacki had another struggling time on court but came through to win at the Ericsson Open Tuesday. The number one seed had all sorts or challenges against Pauline Parmentier but managed to win 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 on Centre Court at the Bastad Tennis Stadium.
This was their second meeting on clay where the Dane easily defeated the French star in straight sets. Although that was nine years ago, times have changed significantly. Parmentier carried a heavy advantage playing in several matches since her first round loss at Wimbledon. Despite losing two of seven, the 21 year old was ready in her opening round match against the newly crowned world number six who had more than two weeks to prepare for the slight retraction back to the red clay.
Wozniacki had a challenge on her hands as Parmentier gained a footing early on to create a toughened stance. By the fourth game, the Dane began her march back placing the ball in spots that the French star couldn’t get to in time. Despite having a fall during one of the games, the number one seed began racking up the breaks against Parmentier getting into a three all tie in the sixth.
It was a short fight, but by the end of deuce, Wozniacki had her game at a high level to dominate going forward. She took the next three games by storm earning the set after 34 minutes of play. While she had more unforced errors than Parmentier, the first serve of Wozniacki was the workhorse of her success that beat down her French opponent’s response.
The Dane pulled out some trick plays to begin the second set laying down returns in the rallies that gave her a four game winning streak on the break. Wozniacki remained firm with a 2-0 lead but the streak came to an end with a real effort from Parmentier who held for the first time since midway in the opening set. She suddenly found the angles to deliver against Wozniacki winning six consecutive points. Her offense on the break helped her reach a two all score with the number one seed hoping to climb back into the thick of the match.
By the fifth, Parmentier gained the lead over the Dane who struggled against the new form of the French star who once again attacked on the break. She won a third straight against the number one seed who began to show concern as she found herself in a hole. It only got worse as another hold for the 31 year old led her to a chance to force a third set with Wozniacki on the edge. She held serve against Parmentier but the inevitable came right after as the world number 99 clinched the set in 43 minutes with two set points that sent the match to its full distance.
The momentum Parmentier created for herself began to turn into a runaway early in the third as she took a 2-0 lead. Wozniacki and her camp were very much concerned with the score and a leg issue that the 27 year old had on court. She battled with the problem and found the energy to rally to three consecutive game winners to get out front. Wozniacki never let her foot off the gas as she dominated the French woman, show class in her offense that let her take the final set by storm winning her way to the second round. It was nearly a two hour struggle for the number one seed but she found her way to get through the troubles. She finished the day with 62 percent on the first serve despite having 40 unforced errors overall in her opening match. The former number one would hope to fix the issues before meeting Viktorija Golubic Thursday.
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