Caroline Wozniacki bows out to Agnieszka Radwanska in the quarters – Apia International Sydney 2012
A huge upset was witnessed at the NSW Tennis Centre in Sydney, Australia, when the world number one, Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark suffered a heavy defeat at the hands of the eighth ranked Pole competitor, Agnieszka Radwanska, in the quarter-finals of the Apia International Sydney. The highly intense competition lasted for two hours and 38 minutes before the seventh seed Radwanska outplayed the top ranked Dane in three sets, 3-6, 7-5, 6-2, to claim a berth in the semi-finals of the WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) event.
The enthralling battle witnessed a magnificent display of high quality tennis action from both competitors. The top seed Wozniacki had a ballistic start to the competition but lost his steam in the later and most crucial parts of the game to let her opponent strike a meaty blow. Radwanska cashed in most of her opportunities in the contest and apart from the sloppy opener, the Pole seemed to be in complete control of the game to drive the world number one out of the tournament.
Eighth ranked Pole competitor finally broke the five-match winning streak of Wozniacki against her in singles encounters and reduced the all-time head-to-head trail by 2-5. She dropped the opening set of the match but recovered from the deficit with great mastery to overpower the top seed Dane in an assertive fashion. Wozniacki appeared struggling with her physical fitness after the first set and never played his natural game in the last two sets. Fatigue was evident from the sluggish footwork of the world number one and she kept providing easy opportunities to her opponent to capitalise.
“I could feel it today, especially in the third set. I felt it more as the match went on,” Wozniacki revealed the injury she has sustained during the quarter-final battle. “I hope it's not serious. I'm going to go and get it checked out tomorrow. Let's just hope for the best. I should be completely fine for the Australian Open next week.”
Radwanska will face off against the world number three, Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, in the semi-final clash of the Apia International Sydney on Thursday. Third seed Azarenka registered an emphatic straight sets, victory over the eighth seed French, Marion Bartoli, in the round of eight, settling the final scores at 7-5, 6-4, to book a date with Radwanska in the semis. The other semi-final will be competed between the world number two Petra Kvitova and the fifth ranked Chinese, Li Na.
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