Caroline Wozniacki receives a message of congratulations from the Danish Royal Family - UBITENNIS
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Caroline Wozniacki receives a message of congratulations from the Danish Royal Family

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Fresh Australian Open champion and world number 1 Caroline Wozniacki revealed that she received a message of congratulations from the Danish Royal Family after her win in Melbourne against Simona Halep.

The 27-year-old Danish star celebrated her trophy with a photo-shoot on a punt ride at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Melbourne.

“I have heard from the royal family. They congratulated me and they were thrilled for me, so that was very exciting. I am just overwhelmed, excited, happy, a mix of a lot of emotions. I have not let the trophy and I am going to hold her (the trophy) for a little bit longer, just soaking it all in. It’s surreal. This does not come every day so when I have this opportunity and have these amazing days. I am just thrilled to be here”, said a very delighted Wozniacki.

Wozniacki followed up her WTA Finals title in Singapore with her maiden Grand Slam title in Melbourne and a return to the world number 1 spot in the WTA Ranking.

“It was a huge day for me. Getting my first Grand Slam, getting to world number 1, I think I am speechless. It’s an amazing feeling. I have my trophy Daphne here with me and she looks so pretty”.

Wozniacki was on the brink of defeat in the second round againsst Jana Fett when she had to save two match points at 1-5 in the third set earlier in the tournament and went on to end the Australian Open with the trophy. During the tournament the Dane beat Carla Suarez Navarro in three sets to advance to her second semifinal since 2011. She then beat Elise Mertens to reach her third career Grand Slam final and her first since 2014. She became the ninth woman to win the Australian Open title after saving match points.

“From being almost out of the tournament to sitting here with the Australian Open trophy, it’s amazing. It’s quite a turnaround. It’s something I am proud of. It was really a great momentum shift for me going further in the tournament after that”.

Halep and Wozniacki had never won a Grand Slam title before Saturday and there was much at stake during a nerve-wracking match. Wozniacki felt she had an opportunity to clinch her first Grand Slam title after finishing runner-up twice at the US Open.

“I was nervous going into the match. I knew what was at stake. I tried to have fun with this and enjoy the moment. I played very aggressively. We both played very aggressively. I knew that she is a great fighter and she was playing amazing tennis as well. Even until the match I didn’t know who is going to win the match but I knew I had an opportunity. Winning it this way makes it obviously extremely special because we both grinded it so hard. I am here and I am Australian Opne champion”

Wozniack famously ran the New York Marathon in 3 hours and 26 minutes. The final against Halep took 36 minutes less than her effort in New York. The Dane found the Australian Open final harder.

“It was definitely harder emotionally. It was such a tough grind. It was very hot out there, I think both of us were very tired in the end but I was not nervous. I was probably thinking, that I had opportunities to go up 3-0 and 4-1 in the final set and I did not take them. She was playing really well. I was thinking it looks like it may not be my day but I was never nervous at that point. I was just going to go out there and give it my all and swing for it. I was playing aggressively. I think I played well. It could have gone either way. I am happy it went my way”.

Wozniacki took the opportunity to thank her team for their support during the amazing two weeks.

“I think having such a great support system behind me made such a big difference. My dad Piotr said that he was very proud of me regardless of what would happened in the final. My boyfriend David really calmed me down and told me to take this as an opportunity and have fun”.

Wozniacki felt a sense of relief after winning her first Grand Slam title on her third attempt.

“One of the most positive things about all of this is that I am never going to get the question again: “When are you going to win a Grand Slam ?”. I am just waiting for the question: When are you going to win the second one ? I am just happy I have this one. I am going to really enjoy this moment”

Caroline received a message from her close friend Serena Williams after the final.

“It means a lot to me. She is a friend of mine. It means a lot she was supporting and following. She is just the best. It’s awesome”

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Caroline Garcia Opens Up About Recent Struggles After Claiming First Top 10 Win Since 2022 In Miami

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Caroline Garcia - Australian Open 2024 (Foto X @ausopen)

After a lacklustre start to her season, Caroline Garcia is finally finding some momentum in her tennis at the Miami Open. 

Garcia, who has been ranked as high as fourth in the world, came into the WTA 1000 event yet to reach a quarter-final on the Tour this year and hadn’t back-to-back matches. However, her fortunes have turned around at her latest event where she produced a stunning win over Coco Gauff in the fourth round on Monday. 

The 30-year-old rallied to a 6-3, 1-6, 6-2, win over the reigning US Open champion. It is the first time she has beaten a top 10 player on the Tour for 16 months. Before taking on Gauff, she also beat four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka in straight sets. 

“It’s definitely a great match and a great win for me. The last couple of months have not been easy,” Garcia said afterwards. 

Garcia claimed the biggest title of her career at the 2022 WTA Finals, where she won four out of her five matches played at the end-of-season event. However, since then she has only reached the final of two more Tour-level events which were during the first two months of last year. She is currently ranked 27th in the world and has been outside the top 20 since January. 

“Sometimes you don’t have all the results you want, and sometimes it can affect you too much,” Garcia commented.
“You have to find a good balance and a good relationship with tennis to balance your professional life and personal.
“I think we have been able to do good sometimes. On the practice courts in Indian Wells after the loss against Maria (Sakkari), I was a bit down and then we did some good practice and we saw she played well. 
“My game was there. I just had to go for it and play my matches. I have been able to do it one match at a time.”

The Frenchwoman will be hoping to continue her fairytale run in the quarter-finals where she will take on unseeded Danielle Collins. Collins, who will retire later this year, dropped only five games during her 6-3, 6-2, win over Romania’s Sorana Cirstea. 

“I just want to be focused on my game what I can do and at the end try my best and walk out of the court proud of the effort,” Garcia concluded. 

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Shocks Galore In Miami As Four Top 10 Players Crash Out Of Women’s Draw

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An action-packed Saturday at the Miami Open saw a series of top names suffer surprise losses in the third round with the the most high-profile exit being Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka. 

The world No.2 suffered a disappointing 6-4, 1-6, 6-1, loss to Ukraine’s Anhelina Kalinina after just over two hours of play. Sabalenka struggled particularly with her second serve with the Belarussian only winning 10 out of 27 points. In the final set, she failed to hold her serve once and smashed her racket on the ground multiple times immediately after the match concluded. 

“It’s always tough to play on big stages against these top players,” said Kalinina. “Today was really tough with nerves but I managed in the tough moments to deal with it. 
“So I’m a little bit proud of myself today.” 

Sabalenka’s defeat comes less than a week after the death of her former boyfriend Konstantin Koltsov who passed away in Miami. She has opted not to speak with the media at the tournament whilst playing due to the current circumstances. However, on Wednesday in a short statement on social media, she said her “heart was broken” by the “unthinkable tragedy.” 

Meanwhile, 32nd seed Kalinina will next play Yulia Putintseva. It is the first time she has beaten a top 10 player this season with Sabalenka being the second Grand Slam winner she has ousted in Miami. Earlier in the tournament, she also knocked out Caroline Wozniacki in a marathon encounter that lasted more than three hours. 

Another casualty in the draw is Ons Jabeur who lost 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, to Elina Avanbesyan. It is the fourth match in a row that the Tunisian has lost on the Tour. She is yet to win back-to-back matches on the Tour in 2024 but has been troubled in recent weeks by a knee injury. 

Chinese seventh seed Zheng Qinwen was knocked out of the draw in straight sets by former champion Victoria Azarenka. Zheng was broken four times in the match during her 6-4, 7-5, loss. 

Finally, Jelena Ostaoeko won just four games during her 6-3, 6-1, loss to Anna Kalinskaya. 

Despite the series of shocks, four out of five top five players remain in the draw this year. They are Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina and Jessica Pegula. 

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Coco Gauff And Aryna Sabalenka Struggle Through In Indian Wells Openers

The duo were pushed to three sets in their first matches played at this year’s WTA 1000 event.

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Coco Gauff admits she didn’t play her best tennis at Indian Wells on Saturday after coming through a rollercoaster three-set battle. 

The world No.3 needed more than two hours to oust France’s Clara Burel 2-6, 6-3, 7-6(4). Gauff found herself trailing multiple times during the match. After losing the opening set, the reigning US Open champion then had to battle back from a 0-4 deficit in the decider. Capitalising on some tentative hitting from Burel who was bidding to record the biggest win of her career. 

Despite prevailing, it was a far from vintage performance from Gauff who hit six double faults and 14 unforced errors during the first set alone. She also struggled behind her second serve, winning just 12 out of 36 points played. 

“I think for me it’s just getting through that match definitely meant a lot,” Gauff said. “Could have easily thrown in the towel. But honestly, I was just telling myself, like, win or lose, I don’t want to have any regrets on the court. I want to be like I gave myself the best opportunity to win, and I did that.
“Am I proud of how I played? Not really, to be honest. But the fight, I am proud of. I am eager to improve. I think it wasn’t my best tennis at all. I think I just have a lot of improvement that I can do to get better.”

The 19-year-old has become the first teenager in the last 15 years to have won 50 or more matches at WTA 1000 events. She will next play Lucia Bonzetti.

“That’s pretty cool,” Gauff commented on her latest milestone. “I feel like I have a lot of stats and stuff like that. Hopefully I can close this chapter of my life off good. I’m really happy with how my teenage years went.” 

Sabalenka avoids major upset 

Aryna Sabalenka was another player to experience trouble during their opening match after outlasting Peyton Sterns 6-7 (2), 6-2, 7-6 (8), in a clash that lasted almost three hours. The world No.2 was on the verge of losing and had to save four match points when down 4-5 in the final set. Despite that blip, she held her nerve to break back before prevailing in a tightly contested tiebreaker. 

“Wow, I think I was right when I see this tattoo of a tiger and I was fighting today like a tiger,” said Sabalenka. “It’s just crazy what happened. She’s an unbelievable player.
“She played crazy tennis. She said at the net, ‘I had you,’ so she’s right. I was probably a little bit lucky to get this win. Super happy to get through this.”
“I didn’t play my best tennis and she was crushing it like crazy. I was just trying to stay in the game and keep fighting for every point. But this match definitely goes into the book of craziest matches and the best matches of my career.”

Sabalenka is hoping to go one step better in Indian Wells than 12 months ago when she reached the final before losing to Elena Rybakina, who has pulled out of the tournament due to gastrointestinal issues. 

Awaiting the Belrussian in the next round will be Emma Raducanu in what will be the first meeting on the Tour. 

Elsewhere, Naomi Osaka posted a convincing 7-5, 6-3, win over world No.15 Luidmila Samsonova. It is the first time she has beaten a top 20 player since returning to competitive tennis following the birth of her child. 

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