US Open: Caroline Wozniacki keeps the dream alive, sets blockbuster clash against Kvitova

Dane wildcard Caroline Wozniacki won against Russian qualifier Tatiana Prozorova 6-3, 6-2 to move into the second round of the US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York on Monday night.

Playing in just her third tournament back after retiring from tennis in 2020, Wozniacki showed glimmers of the level that took her to world No 1 more than a decade ago. The mother blasted past her qualifier opponent in an hour and a half, setting a tantalising match against another seasoned veteran, No 11 seed Petra Kvitova.

The Dane said she was happy with her performance on Monday and believes she can beat any player in the draw when she is playing her best.

“I’m just so happy to be through. I think there are some things I did very well, other things that I can do better. All in all I’m going to be thrilled with a win today. Playing on Armstrong is special. Playing a night session. Obviously I was a little nervous going out there and finishing off the match. Again, just thrilled to be through in an exciting match. Get another one out there,” the former world No 1 said.

Wozniacki has won six of her 14 previous clashes against Kvitova and she is looking forward to another exciting match-up with her former rival.

“I know exactly what I need to do. I know where my game needs to be at to beat Petra. There’s definitely a calmness to knowing that. At the same time I’m playing someone who obviously plays very well. Could I have had maybe a little bit of an easier draw? Probably. But at the same time I’m also a wild card. We could have met in the first round,” Wozniacki said. “At the same time I’m just out there to compete. I know myself, my competitiveness. I know if I’m playing my best tennis, then I believe that I can beat anyone in the draw. It could be anything out there in the next match, but I hope it’s going to be a great match. That’s why I’m here. I want to compete. I want to play against the best players. Again, I’m just thrilled that I got to play on a big court today. Let’s see where we’re going to go in the next round. Hopefully another big one.”

New York (Grand Slam), other first-round results (USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, hard, USD 44.700.000, most recent results first):

• Maryna Zanevska vs. Aryna Sabalenka
• Greet Minnen vs. Venus Williams
• Ana Bogdan vs. Sofia Kenin
• Anna Blinkova vs. Jodie Burrage
• Sachia Vickery vs. Donna Vekic
• Lucia Bronzetti vs. Barbora Krejcikova
• Robin Montgomery vs. Eva Lys
• Barbora Strycova vs. Kaia Kanepi
• Qinwen Zheng vs. Nadia Podoroska
• Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova vs. Fiona Crawley
• Clara Tauson vs. Anastasia Potapova
• Caroline Dolehide vs. Clara Burel
• Karolina Pliskova vs. Elena-Gabriela Ruse
• Daria Kasatkina vs. Alycia Parks
• Patricia Maria Tig vs. Rebecca Marino
• Elina Svitolina vs. Anna-Lena Friedsam
• Peyton Stearns vs. Viktoriya Tomova
• Camila Giorgi vs. Jessica Pegula
• Tatjana Maria vs. Petra Martic
• Yanina Wickmayer vs. Vera Zvonareva
• Na-Lae Han vs. Marketa Vondrousova
• Martina Trevisan vs. Yulia Putintseva
• Elsa Jacquemot vs. Lesia Tsurenko
• Caroline Garcia vs. Yafan Wang
• Arantxa Rus vs. Madison Keys
• Ashlyn Krueger vs. Marie Bouzkova
• Linda Noskova vs. Madison Brengle
• Ons Jabeur vs. Camila Osorio
• Irina-Camelia Begu vs. Tamara Korpatsch
• Liudmila Samsonova vs. Claire Liu
• Ekaterina Alexandrova vs. Leylah Fernandez
• Katie Boulter vs. Diane Parry
• Magda Linette (24) beat Aliaksandra Sasnovich: 6-3, 6-1
• Sorana Cirstea (30) beat Kayla Day (WC): 6-2, 6-3
• Mirra Andreeva beat Olivia Gadecki (Q): 1-6, 6-3, 6-4
• Coco Gauff (6) beat Laura Siegemund (Q): 3-6, 6-2, 6-4
• Petra Kvitova beat Cristina Bucsa: 6-1, 7-6 (5)
• Jelena Ostapenko (20) beat Jasmine Paolini: 6-2, 4-6, 6-1
• Elina Avanesyan beat Alize Cornet: 6-2, 1-6, 6-4
• Anna Kalinskaya beat Katerina Siniakova: 6-4, 6-2
• Elise Mertens (32) beat Mirjam Bjorklund (Q): 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (3)
• Ajla Tomljanovic beat Panna Udvardy: 3-6, 6-2, 6-4
• Xiyu Wang beat Viktoria Hruncakova (LL): 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (6)
• Jennifer Brady beat Kimberly Birrell (LL): 6-3, 7-6 (4)
• Lin Zhu beat Mayar Sherif: 6-3, 7-5
• Kaja Juvan (Q) beat Elisabetta Cocciaretto (29): 6-2, 7-5
• Xinyu Wang beat Katie Volynets (Q): 6-3, 6-4
• Elena Rybakina (4) beat Marta Kostyuk: 6-2, 6-1
• Yuriko Miyazaki (Q) beat Margarita Betova: 6-3, 6-3
• Danielle Collins beat Linda Fruhvirtova: 6-2, 6-0
• Bernarda Pera beat Veronika Kudermetova (16): 7-5, 6-4
• Sara Sorribes Tormo beat Anhelina Kalinina (28): 6-4, 7-5
• Beatriz Haddad Maia (19) beat Sloane Stephens: 6-2, 5-7, 6-4
• Lauren Davis beat Danka Kovinic: 6-2, 6-2
• Iga Swiatek (1) beat Rebecca Peterson: 6-0, 6-1
• Rebeka Masarova beat Maria Sakkari (8): 6-4, 6-4
• Anna Karolina Schmiedlova beat Kateryna Baindl: 6-4, 3-6, 6-3
• Taylor Townsend beat Varvara Gracheva: 6-4, 6-2
• Magdalena Frech beat Emma Navarro: 7-6 (10), 1-6, 6-2
• Karolina Muchova (10) beat Storm Hunter (WC): 6-4, 6-0
• Belinda Bencic (15) beat Kamilla Rakhimova: 6-2, 6-4
• Victoria Azarenka (18) beat Fiona Ferro (WC): 6-1, 6-2
• Daria Saville beat Clervie Ngounoue (WC): 6-0, 6-2