Wimbledon tennis : Caroline Wozniacki wins next up Kai Chen Chang of China
Third seed Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark looked like she didn’t break a sweat in disposing of her first round opponent, Tathiana Garbin of Italy, with identical scores of 6-1. The world number four player needed only 47 minutes for the whole match. Despite an early exit in the warm up tournament prior to this Grand Slam, Wozniacki looks as if she is ready to go a long way.
Little is known of her second round opponent. Kai-Chen Chang of Chinese Taipei, who advanced to the next round by beating Dutch player Arantxa Rus, with a strange 6-0, 2-6, 6-3 score. She must not play the same way when she faces her Dane opponent as the third seed is a player of greater calibre who will take advantage of every opportunity handed to her.
Chang committed 40 unforced errors in her first round match, while only hitting 30 winners. However, she has shown that when she comes into the net, she is capable of winning points there. She could use this tactic against Wozniacki but must be ready at all times because Wozniacki’s shots are very accurate and she can usually place the ball where she wants it to go.
In contrast, Wozniacki committed only 10 unforced errors in her first round affair, while hitting 19 winners. Wozniacki will not give away free points to her opponents – they have to earn it, and it is easier said than done against the Dane with good foot speed and a variety of shots.
Wozniacki and Chang have never previously faced each other in a match. Chang is in for a very rough time and it is looking like she will have to chase the ball around. Wozniacki is known for mixing up shots, sometimes driving them down with power, while hitting a drop shot here and there. The angles of her shots are also sharp, which makes it even harder to chase down.
Chang ought to be aware that holding her serve is a must. Wozniacki is an opportunist; she converted six out of nine break point chances in her first round match for a high 67%. In contrast, Chang committed five double faults in her own first rounder, something she cannot afford against the Danish star.
Wozniacki is in for an easy second round match and she looks like she will win in straight sets as well, although perhaps this coming match will take a bit longer to finish. Wozniacki just must be on guard and not underestimate her opponent, as there have been many near-upsets in this year’s Wimbledon alone. She must remain aggressive and select her shots as she normally does, and she will get to the third round with very little trouble.
As seen in her first round match, Chang can lose concentration easily. She won the first set with her opponent taking no games, but was broken twice in the second set in handing that one to Rus. Good thing she recovered in the third and held her serve; otherwise she would have been gone.
She cannot afford any lapse of concentration against a player like Wozniacki, who, despite her young age, is a player of pure quality. She must be mentally tough and trust her own game and who knows, she might pull off an upset if circumstances go her way.
Bold Prediction: Wozniacki wins in straight sets.
With that, however, Wozniacki is still way ahead of Chang in terms of experience and ability. It is not likely that she will drop a set, let alone the whole match. She is too quick and her aggressive and powerful hitting style is effective enough to bring problems for Chang.
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