Caroline Wozniacki, of Denmark, returns a shot to Dominika
Cibulkova, of Slovakia, during a quarterfinal at the US
Open tennis tournament in New York. (AP Photo/Mark
Humphrey)
Top-seeded Caroline Wozniacki stretched her winning
streak to 13 matches by beating 45th-ranked Dominika Cibulkova
of Slovakia 6-2, 7-5 in the US Open quarterfinals today.
Wozniacki, the 2009 runner-up at Flushing Meadows, will face
No. 7 Vera Zvonareva in tomorrow's semifinals.
Playing her usual steady game, retrieving balls and forcing
her opponent to hit shot after shot, Wozniacki handled the
wind that was gusting at more than 34 mph (58 kph). She
compared it to "playing in a hurricane or something."
Wozniacki made only 18 unforced errors. Cibulkova made 43.
American businessman Donald Trump watched from Wozniacki's
player-guest box instead of his usual suite.
"He called my agent and asked if there was going to be a
space in my box," Wozniacki said. "I said, 'Of course,
there's always a place for Mr. Trump.'"
Cibulkova conceded 43 unforced errors, which played right
into Wozniacki's way of winning. She gets more balls back
than anyone on tour these days. Her first five opponents have
averaged 33 unforced errors.
"It felt like we were playing in a hurricane or something,"
Wozniacki said. "But it was the same for both players. I'm
happy to get through."
Midway through the second set, the generally unflappable
Wozniacki got into an extended discussion with chair umpire
Anthony Nimmons over a ruling that a point should be
replayed. Cibulkova served and Wozniacki's return landed near
the baseline; Cibulkova's subsequent forehand went out. But a
line judge had called Wozniacki's return out, then corrected
that call.
Nimmons decided that that changed call affected Cibulkova.
Wozniacki approached the chair and asked, "How can you replay
the point?"
Nimmons replied, "In my eyes, she was hindered by him."
To which Wozniacki responded, "You've got to be kidding me,"
a phrase she would repeat as the argument continued.
Eventually, the point was replayed, and Cibulkova won it, and
that game, part of a tight, tense set.
Her semifinal match is Friday against No. 7 Vera Zvonareva, a
6-3, 7-5 winner over No. 31 Kaia Kanepi.
Bookmark/Search this post with:
A name, residential address, and (preferably residential) telephone number is required from readers who comment on ODT Online. These details will not be visible to site visitors.