Impressive Wozniacki continues march in Auckland
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[January 03, 2018]
(Reuters) - Caroline Wozniacki
continued to build on her WTA Finals victory late last year with
another impressive performance on her way to a 6-2 6-2 victory over
Croatia's Petra Martic to reach the quarter-finals of the Auckland
Classic on Wednesday.
The Danish world number three ended 2017 with the biggest title of
her career in Singapore and returned a day after thrashing Madison
Brengle in her season opener to hit 21 winners against eight
unforced errors in the 53-minute win over Martic.
"I'm trying to stay aggressive," Wozniacki said in a court-side
interview. "I still made some unforced errors. It's taking a few
matches to play like 100 percent but I still felt I played pretty
well today."
Top seed Wozniacki started brightly with a break of serve to love on
her way to an early 3-0 lead and added another break in the eighth
game to wrap up the opening set in just 24 minutes on a glorious day
in New Zealand's largest city.
Martic tried to mount a comeback early in the second when she broke
for a 2-0 lead but Wozniacki won the final six games behind
impressive serving numbers, including six aces, to book a last eight
encounter with young American Sofia Kenin.
"I've worked on everything I need to work on in the off-season,"
Wozniacki added as she continues her preparations for the Australian
Open starting in Melbourne on Jan. 15.
"Now it's just a matter of working out how to incorporate that into
your match or into a situation where you maybe get nervous."
Kenin, a 19-year-old wild card, knocked out compatriot Varvara
Lepchenko 6-4 7-6(6) earlier in the day and there were also
victories for Taiwan's Hsieh Su-wei and Barbora Strycova.
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Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki celebrates during the final against
USA's Venus Williams. REUTERS/Edgar Su
Hsieh recorded a 6-4 6-3 triumph over Belgian qualifier Ysaline
Bonaventure to set up a quarter-final clash against Strycova after
the third seeded Czech edged out Sweden's Johanna Larsson 6-1 6-7(3)
6-2.
In the late matches, second seeded German Julia Goerges eased to a
6-4 6-0 victory over Slovakia's Viktoria Kuzmova to book a last
eight tie against Slovenia's Polona Hercog, who was almost as
ruthless in a 6-4 6-2 win over Kirsten Flipkens.
Former world number two Agnieszka Radwanska continued her strong
start to the campaign with a 6-3 7-5 win over American Taylor
Townsend, the Pole holding her nerve in a tight second set that
lasted more than an hour to advance.
Fourth seed Radwanska, who remains on a collision course for a
semi-final against Wozniacki, next faces American qualifier Sachia
Vickery, who defeated Paraguay's Veronica Cepede Royg 6-2 6-4.
(Reporting by John O'Brien in Singapore; Editing by Greg
Stutchbury/Amlan Chakraborty)
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