Wozniacki gets through with tough win at Nature Valley International

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Caroline Wozniacki  was happy to get out of trouble at the Nature Valley International Thursday. The world number two had a tough and tricky match against Ashleigh Barty who pushed her to falter, struggled to recover and dealt with the wind to come out winning in straight sets 6-4, 6-3 on Centre Court at Devonshire Park.

Three was the charm the Australian looked for on a surface she was more than comfortable playing. The buildup since winning Nottingham has been strong going 3-1 in her last four battles. She had yet to drop a set in the English seaside town and would try to keep it that way for the upset. Wozniacki put in a lot of hard work in her second match on grass taking care to keep Johanna Konta at bay on her own turf. The victory set up this third meeting where the world number two would have to be mindful of her skills and keep Barty from becoming too strong to stop.

They both flowed well holding serve on one another through four games with Wozniacki showing the most comfort on court against Barty. She set the bar each time with the Aussie finding it difficult returning Wozniacki’s shots at times but battled to stay with her. It all changed after the Dane held serve in the ninth putting everything she had at Barty to falter. She reached three set points but saw her get deep into a rally to nail a winner to stay alive.

She had two more chances to force deuce but a double fault ended her hopes for a tiebreak. The world number two had the lead after 35 minutes getting the first break of the match despite having a low number of winners and unforced errors. Barty’s were also minimal but enough that gave Wozniacki the lead she worked to be ahead of the grass court specialist.

She opened the door to be broken in the first game of the second set which began the pace for both players to outduel the other. Wozniacki got back on serve just in time taking some pace away from Barty’s offense, but not enough to break it down completely. She held serve and followed it up with a break to take the lead. The Dane called out her father and coach where they had a two way conversation with Wozniacki frustrated on what to do to stop the problems faced in the second set.

While she got leveled through six, it was clear that both players were frustrated with the turn that their service games took so far. Both won less than three on 12 attempts from the second serve and had a return in the basement with their second serve returns saving them. A key hold arrived for the top seed in the seventh taking some improvement to her serve to lead 4-3 getting the lead back.

She delivered a big blow in the eighth breaking the Australian’s confidence with a double break point winner that let her serve for the match. Missed forehands helped unravel her game giving Wozniacki three match points winning it on the second try that helped her avoid more troublesome moments in 1 hour and 19 minutes.

“It was very difficult match,” said Wozniacki during her interview. “We know each other very well. She’s also a great girl and I knew it was going to be trick out there. The wind didn’t help, it was really swirling in there and made it difficult to feel where you were going to hit the ball.”

While she was over and done with the day on court, she would have to set up in her semifinal match taking on either Daria Kasatkina or Angelique Kerber on Friday. “Both are great players and both are great competitors,” she said. “It’s gonna be tricky either way.”

Radwanska punishes Ostapenko in straight sets

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Agnieszka Radwanska was moving on smoothly for a second match at the Nature Valley International Thursday afternoon. The returning star of the sport played comfortably against the fifth-seeded Jelena Ostapenko giving her very little to build on beating her down in a 6-2, 7-5 straight sets win on Court 1 at Devonshire Park in Eastbourne.  

A second meeting between the two had Radwanska still facing heavy opposition in the tournament. Despite not getting the chance to take on Petra Kvitova who withdrew before their round of 16 match, the Polish superstar looked to contain the edge on her young opponent. The two met back in 2016 on the hard courts of New Haven where the once top ten contender took down the Latvian in straight sets. Ostapenko hasn’t dropped a set yet while Radwanska had to make a statement in her return to the sport. With her ability to find comfort, the 29-year-old would look to dictate early and deny the world number 12 any chance of turning the tables.

They went together holding one another through the first few games until Radwanska found a point to break the Latvian in the fifth. After the lead was in hand, the Polish star focused on keeping Ostapenko at bay giving her very little to hit on the return. It took a toll on how she served to Radwanska, failing to get many points in court with the unforced errors racking up quickly. It handed her opponent plenty of speed to rush through five games in a row taking the first set in 46 minutes. The 29-year old saw 80 percent coming from her first serve and 12 of 15 points won from it.

The second went much like the first with Ostapenko trying to stay locked in with Radwanska who served to stay in the lead. She found her chance to take control in the sixth breaking Ostapenko with well-placed shots out of her reach, but it wasn’t enough to walk away with the set. The 21-year old broke back in the seventh keeping in touch with the Polish star before holding to level at four-all.

In a chance to turn the match around, the Latvian earned another break in the ninth but couldn’t contain a service hold to close out the set and force a third to be played. Radwanska had one shot to overtake and try to shut down Ostapenko who had yet to find any consistency in her game. Despite having to play on deuce due to a double fault, Radwanska managed to hold firm and take a 6-5 lead with Ostapenko once again on the verge of defeat.

The Latvian served but couldn’t keep the unforced errors away as she sent just enough of them wide to bring an end to her day against Radwanska who moved into the semifinals after 1 hour and 29 minutes.

“It was a tough match,” Radwanska said during her on-court interview. “She’s a big fighter, she was fighting till the end and I fought very good then she started playing very aggressive with her game and it was very tight in that second set and just really happy that I could win and do it in straight sets.”

She finished the day with four aces and eight winners while converting on 7 of 13 break points. Though she kept her winners to unforced errors in check, the same couldn’t be said for Ostapenko who recorded big numbers on both fronts. The 38 unforced errors were the giant that brought a demise to her offense making it too difficult to overcome. While it would give her time to prepare for Wimbledon on Monday, the veteran player on the WTA tour would get set for a semifinal match facing the winner between Aryna Sabalenka and Karolina Pliskova on Friday.

Wozniacki fights hard to get win out of Konta at Nature Valley International

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Caroline Wozniacki needed a lot of time on court but got enough to earn another win at the Nature Valley International Wednesday evening. The world number two overcame being a set down against Johanna Konta to force a third set and win 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 on centre court at Devonshire Park in Eastbourne. It was the first win against her on grass and the first of their career series.

A third meeting between the two stars of the sport made their matchup a key one to see. The popularity of the former two-time world number one and the Eastbourne hometown girl vying for a spot to get into the round of eight. The Brit holds a serious advantage winning both at Miami and the Australian Open last year and having everyone who knows her well supporting her. Wozniacki made her stance this week getting a quick win against Camila Giorgi taking care of business as usual while Konta ravaged her way to a fast straight sets win over Alexandra Krunic. With someone likely to be disappointed, it would be up to whoever got the edge on the key break that may dictate the rest of the match.

Konta would be the first to get it as she held strong to open the set before getting a 2-0 lead with comfort on court. The Dane clawed out a win in the third but trailed Konta after five calling out her coach and father for advice. After words of encouragement from Piotr Wozniacki, she attacked with the second serve on Konta’s service game scoring three break points before the win that leveled the score.

While there wasn’t a lot of ground lost for the Brit, she found a way of remedying that pulling out two straight wins to threaten winning the set. Konta couldn’t do it on the break but with the efforts on serve, she won the opener after a break on deuce ending 39 minutes of play. The margin was in favor of the Eastbourne native as she scored 11 winners despite having the most unforced errors of the two. Her efforts on the breakpoints would show well as she got into it in the opening game of the second set.

While trying to focus on breaking the world number two for the second time, unforced errors allowed Wozniacki to figure back into her service game and find control. She pressured the Brit to falter a number of times before she secured the win on the fourth break of deuce. Wozniacki got a grip on the momentum built from the lengthy game carving out a break for herself. A hold in the third gave the top seed her biggest lead of the match hoping to force a third set in quickly.

Konta found a way to lock down her first service hold in the fourth but couldn’t contain a 30-0 lead on the break giving Wozniacki a 4-1 lead. She was witnessing all remaining control slipping from her fingers as Wozniacki gained another break under her belt before she served for a tie. She reached triple set point but watched as Konta recovered all the lost ground to force deuce.

The newfound energy that she got didn’t help her overtake in the game as Wozniacki handled herself to go two breaks before closing out the set in 38 minutes sending the two the full distance. While both had even numbers on the stats, Wozniacki had the leverage of winning far more points than the Brit in an effort to get into a third set than being defeated.

Konta still focused on pulling off that feat doing a lot to secure her service game that saw the Dane attack for break chances. She couldn’t get it done but secured a serve to love landing a net winner in the second. Konta got on the board in the third taking a chat with Michael Joyce on how to fight against the serve of Wozniacki. She found a way to do it putting aggressive hits on the return to level the score with the service in hand for the fifth.

Wozniacki wanted to gain back her lead and did so breaking Konta that consolidated the hold she earned on serve in game six. Two games were in hand but the efforts from the number one Brit were still alive as she battled to contain the service game in the seventh. She and Wozniacki went deep on deuce where she gained the key AD point to sit a game down of the Dane. The leverage remained heavy for the world number two as she won on serve in the eighth putting Konta on the edge of defeat.

She kept herself alive on serve standing a game down with every chance to even up the score and stay in the match. Wozniacki denied her that chance gaining double match point where an ace down the center line was challenged but showed that it hit just enough to bring an end to the day in two hours and ten minutes.

“It was a very difficult match,” said Wozniacki after her match.” Jo plays really well and she loves the grass and obviously playing at home, but after the first set I think I got a little bit more of a rhythm and I think both of us played better and was lucky to get it in the end.”

She won’t get a drop of challenges to her as she faced Ashleigh Barty in Thursday quarterfinal. “She’s definitely a tricky opponent, especially on grass. I practiced with her earlier in the week and its definitely going to be difficult.”

Ostapenko earns straight sets over Buzarnescu at Nature Valley International

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Jelena Ostapenko achieved a first at the Nature Valley International Wednesday. The Latvian had a strong game against Mihaela Buzarnescu to reach the quarterfinals in a 6-1, 6-2 straight sets win on Court 1 at Devonshire Park. A left shoulder injury that took a major toll on Buzarnescu’s game was the reason for her demise after showing such power on the grass courts so far this season.

 The Romanian had been on an absolute tear of recent taking down players with serious skill and tenacity to get out of trouble and come out on top. Though she’s played six consecutive so far at Eastbourne, the world number 28 was ready to attempt getting a second win against the high ranked Latvian. She defeated Ostapenko earlier this season at Doha but would see the talent of her opponent’s grass court tactics. The aggressive style from the 21 year old had her coming out fiercely against Kaia Kanepi winning in straight sets despite some serious opposition from the Estonian. With a tough competition out of the way, the world number 12 was ready for an even bigger challenge to level the series with Buzarnescu.

She opened with a big response in the opening game and somehow turned the second game into her favor to break the Romanian. Ostapenko was already having some problems with the serve double faulting early in the set but maintained some focus to get out of a jam. The 21-year-old made it 3-1 with a break to consolidate that with another hold in the fifth. The Latvian was on a run while Buzarnescu showed some struggle and before the seventh made the call for the trainer during the break of sets. After losing the set 6-1 in 24 minutes, the Romanian took a medical timeout for a left shoulder problem. It was clear that it held her back recording 11 unforced errors in that time.

When the physiotherapist completed her task, it looked as if the shoulder was fixed for the Romanian to serve from it. She capped the opening game with a hold of Ostapenko giving a sigh of relief to her supporters. After the Latvian took a 2-1 lead, Buzarnescu called for the trainer to take another look at her shoulder with quickly bothered her again. While there was no chance for a second medical timeout, she had to play on which only gave the 21-year-old plenty of breathing room to conduct the set. She edged out to a 4-1 lead looking very comfortable and keep the pace high enough to get through the last two wins needed.

She watched the 30-year-old get a break in the sixth before attaining a 5-2 lead to serve for the match. Ostapenko had some jitters on the service game for the match but an ace to get match point was faltered by herself forcing deuce for the Romanian. It wouldn’t take her long to recover as the first AD point in hand for the 21-year-old ended the day after just over an hour.

“It was not a bad match for me,” Ostapenko said during her on-court interview. “I think I played really well and served well. There were some moments where she was tough because she is very solid and not missing anything so I had to play aggressively but I’m really pleased with the game I’ve played today.”

She’ll face Agnieszka Radwanska in Thursday’s match in what was their second meeting this season. “I know how she’s playing,” Ostapenko said about her next opponent. “I know it’s going to be a tough match, but I’m gonna prepare for it.”

Wozniacki holds back tough game of Giorgi to progress at Nature Valley International

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Caroline Wozniacki flowed through her return to the WTA tour with simplicity against a tough opponent Monday evening. The world number two had the match well under control opening up an eight-game winning streak against Camila Giorgi to win in straight sets 6-2, 6-3 on Centre Court at the Nature Valley International at Devonshire Park. It was the third win against Giorgi on grass and a solid performance under blue skies.

The two met four times splitting wins with one another through three seasons. Two of them came on grass in which kept them even going into the second round. When it comes to Eastbourne, Wozniacki had the advantage of winning against the Italian. While Giorgi got right into the grass court season, she might have a chance at keeping the world number two on a short losing streak dating back to the round of 16 at Roland Garros. This was the first time the Dane had been in action in nearly three weeks.

It showed right away as she saw Giorgi come up with the forehand on fire hitting her way to deuce to save the serve to hold on the first break. The offense allowed her to transition well in the second were she got a break-up and two games ahead of the Dane. Wozniacki earned a critical break back on the Italian fighting hard through two breaks on deuce. She got the score leveled with her first hold in the fourth but it was projected to be a long road as Giorgi remained a relentless figure on the court. She fought from 0-40 down double-faulting twice to force deuce. While she saved four break points, the unforced errors became a struggle gifting the game win to Wozniacki who took the lead.

Consolidating with a hold in the sixth gave the world number two a four-game winning streak hitting the ball left and right to tire out the Italian. It was a triple break for the top seed of the tournament who served for the match-saving a set point to close out the set in 38 minutes with a consecutive games victory. The errors were enough to change the set for the Italian who had the potential to get a set up.

With the advantage heavily in Wozniacki's favor, Giorgi was along for the ride until she could find a way to put a stop to it. The number one seed came out into the second set with a fourth straight break of the Italian and seven in a row to her name. She reached eight before Giorgi managed to get on the board with her first service hold since the opening game. Getting another game to follow that was trounced as she saw Wozniacki take control of her game to hold a 3-1 score.

Giorgi had to regroup in the fifth double faulting a fifth time on serve but held for a third time in the match in the hopes of making it her set to win. She continued to search for a break but Wozniacki kept her tactics alive redirecting the angles on the return during rallies to hold in the sixth. The world number two was unstoppable as she rattled the serve of Giorgi who double-faulted in the seventh giving her opponent all sorts of room to dictate her serve of the match.

Giorgi wasn’t ready to give in and attacked the game of the Dane’s to break for a third win under her belt. She attempted to keep her tournament alive serving in the ninth but double faulted an eighth time giving Wozniacki a turnaround. She got to match point on a return ball wide before a hit into the net from the Italian brought her run to an end after 1 hour and 15 minutes.

“You kinda need to get into the rhythm of the match,” Wozniacki said about returning to Devonshire Park after the match.” “I’ve been practicing a lot and just took me a few games and it felt really great to be back out here.” While the match was in the hands of the former world number one the match at one point was running against her as Giorgi showed her strengths recording 23 winners to Wozniacki’s 14.

“She hits the ball very hard,” said the Dane about her opponent. “She has big serves and for me, it’s all about just waiting for that one moment when I had a small opportunity and try to get that one.” She’ll try to do that and more when she faces the winner between Alexandra Krunic and British number one Johanna Konta in the quarterfinals Wednesday.