Caroline Wozniacki benefits from delay to overcome Elina Svitolina at Bad Homburg - 'I was a little lucky'
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Published 25/06/2024 at 14:27 GMT
Caroline Wozniacki emerged the sharper of the two players as she ground out a three-set win over Elina Svitolina. Svitolina has been a notoriously tough nut to crack for the Dane, but she came out on top here to seal a place in the second round. The 33-year-old revealed how the interruption in play worked to her advantage, with Wozniacki picking up an injury before play was paused on Monday.
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Caroline Wozniacki admits she rode her luck after securing a gruelling three-set win over Elina Svitolina at Bad Homburg.
This match was held over from Monday after being suspended at the start of the third set due to bad light, with Wozniacki forced to take a medical timeout when she fell during Svitolina's service game at 1-1.
Svitolina moved a break up in the decider before play was curtailed, leaving the Dane with plenty of work to do as play resumed.
The delay was clearly more beneficial for the former world No. 1, who appeared much sharper than Svitolina and clinched the third-set decider.
It was the 33-year-old’s first win since April 1 when she powered her way past American qualifier McCartney Kessler at the Charleston Open, and will face Veronika Kudermetova in the second round.
This was the first-ever meeting on grass between the two players, with Svitolina coming out on top in five of their six previous meetings.
Speaking about having to restart the match on Tuesday, Wozniacki said afterwards: "It’s very difficult; yesterday we played in the sun, and then it got dark, and the court got a little bit slippery.
“I unfortunately fell, but after a good night's sleep and some treatment I felt pretty decent today. It was all about getting my body moving and trying to play aggressively,
“I was a little lucky and happy to be through today. It takes a lot of luck when you come back and only have a few games to play.”
Wozniacki is coached by her father, Piotr, and she spoke about the brilliant working relationship between them.
“He’s obviously been there since I was born, but he’s been there since I started playing tennis and knows me better than anyone,” she added.
“We may not always agree on things, but I always know that he wants the best for me, and he always studies and really takes a lot of time to try and figure out how I can play better.
“So that's all you can ask for in a coach, and, I'm very happy that that I can have my family with me everywhere. It's been working well for us.”
A double fault ensured Wozniacki broke back in the decider at 3-3 after a hold for each player at the restart, before the Dane claimed a crucial hold to stave off two break points for the Ukrainian.
Momentum had shifted firmly in Wozniacki's favour, after two double faults and two missed forehands sealed a double break for the Dane.
The former world No. 1 was left serving for the match – a chance which she squandered as a failed drop shot prolonged the contest.
After a hard-fought hold at 6-5, she took advantage of some more unforced errors from Svitolina and broke the world No. 21 for a third time in this decider to take the match.
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