Australian Open champion Caroline Wozniacki was made to work hard but advanced to the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open with a 6-4 2-6 6-3 over Aliaksandra Sasnovich.
Despite the result, it was the Belarusian who made the better start to the match as three breaks of serves saw her storm into a 4-1 lead in the first set. Some perfect angles and clever shot making saw the former world number one on the back-foot in the early stages. However Wozniacki had overcome a huge mental barrier within the last few months and began her assault on Sasnovich in the second half of the set. The world number 49’s lack of concentration cost her as the Dane would win the next five games to grab the first set in 41 minutes.
However Sasnovich responded after a brutal first set and grabbed an early break of serve in the first game. The Belarusian, who also had a fantastic 2018 so far, continued with her game plan on a slow Stadium 1 court. Despite having to save break points, Sasnovich grabbed an insurance break for a 5-2 lead and after a long-winded game secured the set to force a decider.
The final set was a messy, nervous set as both Women looked to grab a crucial initiative in the deciding set. They shared breaks at the start of the second set as both players started to be more aggressive on return. After sharing another pair of breaks of serve, Wozniacki did what all good players do and that’s take the match by the scruff of the neck. A break in the eighth game secured a 5-3 lead as she looked to power over the finish line, which she eventually did on her first match point after 2 hours and 19 minutes.
It wasn’t an impressive match from Wozniacki to say the least, but she did what all great champions do and that’s find a way to win, which is why she advances to the fourth round. She will now play the winner of Sloane Stephens or Daria Kasatkina.
The other result so far saw Caroline Garcia advance to the fourth round with a 7-5 6-4 victory over Daria Gavrilova. Garcia managed to break the Australian as she continues her good start to the 2018 season and she will now play Elena Vesnina or Angelique Kerber in the fourth round.
