Caroline Wozniacki crouches to Irina-Camelia Begu in the first round – US Open 2012
Former world number one, Caroline Wozniacki, became the first Top-10 player to fall victim to an upset at the hands of the 96th ranked Romanian, Irina-Camelia Begu, who comprehensively reigned supreme over the Dane in
the opening round of the US Open; winning the encounter in straight sets 6-2, 6-2.
The upset queen, Begu commented afterward, “It's the first Top 10 player I've beaten and I'm really happy. I had nothing to lose tonight. I had the right tactics from the beginning and played the same from beginning to end - I
served really well, too, which was the key. I still don't really know what happened tonight - right now I'm just going to enjoy the moment, and for sure tomorrow I'll realize what I've done."
Both players commenced the match with serve holds and continued to capitalize on that scenario; pushing the scores to 2-2. Wozniacki was tested in the first game but she did well to hang on and the Romanian 22-year-old also saved
a couple of breakpoints in the fourth game to keep the scores together.
However, the lightning struck twice on the 22-year-old Dane who failed to hold serve in succession; allowing her opponent to post a resounding lead of 5-2 by the end of the seventh game. Begu wasn’t tested at all on her serve;
in fact won four straight points to trounce her rival down and dismantle her confidence further.
It was expected that the eighth seed Dane will fight back into the contest and don’t allow an easy route to her opponent into the second round draws. However, the start to the second half of the match didn’t help Wozniacki as she
stumbled apart; winning just one point on her serve before gifting a breakpoint to her rival.
The Romanian starlet continued to impress with her serves and denied any opportunity to her foe to bounce back into the contest. She smashed 19 winners compared to four of her rival and clinched another breakpoint towards the ending
stages of the set to confirm her triumph.
Next up for Begu is the Spanish professional, Silvia Soler-Espinosa.
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