Wozniacki battles to secure year-end top spot
Saturday, 30 October 2010
DOHA, Oct 29 (AFP): Caroline Wozniacki secured the year-end number one spot in the world ranking on Thursday, becoming the first ever Dane to do so, but only after suffering an early fright at the WTA Tour Championships here.
For an hour, the 20-year-old top seed seemed in danger of going out of the event, until she worked out the clever tactical patterns of Francesca Schiavone, the French Open champion from Italy, and triumphed 3-6, 6-1, 6-1.
Not until midway through the second set did that happen as Wozniacki swapped containment for going on the offensive against Schiavone, who mixed topspin with slice, slow-balling with pace, and net attacks with base-lining, all with equal facility.
Twice Wozniacki's father-coach Piotr came to the courtside, where he knelt before his daughter to offer unusually animated advice.
It seemed to help, although the fourth and the fifth games of the third set were also fiercely contested and pivotal in preventing a Schiavone comeback.
"This is something I have dreamed about since I was a little girl," said Wozniacki, who will become the youngest year-end number one since Martina Hingis in 2000.
"I am really happy and proud about what I have achieved this year."
Wozniacki joined Australia's Samantha Stosur as a semi-finals qualifier from the maroon group at the expense of Elena Dementieva, the Olympic champion from Russia, who will be out even if she beats Schiavone on Friday.
Asked what she might splash out on to celebrate her new status, Wozniacki said: "When I do well I like to buy a small present for myself. I usually like handbags or sunglasses -- they make good accessories -- but I might buy presents for all the people around me."
With her round robin wins here, the Dane has done enough to prevent Vera Zvonareva, the Russian world number two, from overtaking her in the ranking.
For an hour, the 20-year-old top seed seemed in danger of going out of the event, until she worked out the clever tactical patterns of Francesca Schiavone, the French Open champion from Italy, and triumphed 3-6, 6-1, 6-1.
Not until midway through the second set did that happen as Wozniacki swapped containment for going on the offensive against Schiavone, who mixed topspin with slice, slow-balling with pace, and net attacks with base-lining, all with equal facility.
Twice Wozniacki's father-coach Piotr came to the courtside, where he knelt before his daughter to offer unusually animated advice.
It seemed to help, although the fourth and the fifth games of the third set were also fiercely contested and pivotal in preventing a Schiavone comeback.
"This is something I have dreamed about since I was a little girl," said Wozniacki, who will become the youngest year-end number one since Martina Hingis in 2000.
"I am really happy and proud about what I have achieved this year."
Wozniacki joined Australia's Samantha Stosur as a semi-finals qualifier from the maroon group at the expense of Elena Dementieva, the Olympic champion from Russia, who will be out even if she beats Schiavone on Friday.
Asked what she might splash out on to celebrate her new status, Wozniacki said: "When I do well I like to buy a small present for myself. I usually like handbags or sunglasses -- they make good accessories -- but I might buy presents for all the people around me."
With her round robin wins here, the Dane has done enough to prevent Vera Zvonareva, the Russian world number two, from overtaking her in the ranking.