Caroline Wozniacki vs Vera Zvonareva US Open preview
Caroline Wozniacki barely needed to get out of first gear in her first three matches at the US Open, the top seed conceding a cumulative total of three games as she coasted into the fourth round.
Former US Open champion Maria Sharapova provided more of a challenge in the round of 16, but with Woziacki consistently delivering the ball deep and playing the percentages, the Russian was pressured into making 36 unforced errors as she made her exit from New York.
Dominika Cibulkova, who’d defeated another past US Open champ in Svetlana Kuznetsova in her fourth-round match, came closer than any opponent yet to claiming a set from the Dane in the quarter-finals, but still couldn’t manage the feat in blustery conditions in Flushing Meadows.
It’s now Vera Zvonareva’s turn, with the seventh seed bouncing back from the disappointment of losing two Wimbledon finals in one say (the women’s singles and women’s doubles) by pushing deep into the US Open draw.
The world No. 8 has developed a reputation as one of the more emotionally volatile on the women’s tour thanks to some memorable moments of tears and racquet smashing tantrums, but at Wimbledon and now the US Open she’s also demonstrated that when the chips are down she’s also got the mental fortitude to tough it out.
She’ll have to against Wozniacki, who is playing a singularly assured brand of tennis as she sets her sights on the maiden Grand Slam title that would also bring with it the world No. 1 ranking.
If the 20-year-old is inwardly feeling the pressure, she’s doing a very good job at keeping that fact under wraps.
In Zvonareva, she faces a player who she has beaten twice in the four matches they’ve played previously, including in straight sets in the final in Montreal in the lead-up to the US Open.
"She's [Zvonareva’s] playing aggressively so it's going to be a really tough match," said Wozniacki after her quarter-final win.
They are sentiments that echo those spoken by Zvonareva on Wednesday as she awaited confirmation of her semi-final opponent.
“Caroline, she's playing great tennis at the moment,” Zvonareva said. “She's been so consistent this year and won a few tournaments in a row. She's very tough opponent. You know, we played few times and we always had tough matches... it's gonna be a tough challenge, and I'm up to it.”
Expect a tough contest then but Wozniacki, who has won three titles in the last four tournaments she’s played, seems to have all the answers right now.
Prediction: a second straight US Open final for Wozniacki.
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