NEW YORK – Blustery winds, the aftermath of a hurricane-turned-tropical-storm that skirted the area the day before, blew away the hopes of some hopefuls at the US Open, but not the big favorites.
“It was very difficult to play. It was very windy conditions out there,” Caroline Wozniacki said. “But it was the same for both and I just have to adjust.”
The top-seeded Wozniacki did just that, crushing Chan Yung-Jan of Taiwan 6-1 6-0 to advance into the fourth round where she will take on Maria Sharapova, who had an even easier time dominating 18-year-old Beatrice Capra 6-0 6-0.
“You go out and just try to win the match, and you worry about the next one when it’s over,” Sharapova said after her one-sided match over the American.
Jelena Jankovic, however, failed to handle the wind or her opponent. The fourth seed from Serbia was upset by Estonia’s Kaia Kanepi 6-2 7-6 (1).
“I had a hard time serving. You toss the ball and it was all over the place,” Jankovic said. “And then you hit the ball one direction, it goes another. You’re just getting ready to hit the ball and just moves away from you.”
Also advancing in day matches were 15th-seeded Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium, 7-6 (5) 3-6 7-6 (6) over Switzerland’s Patty Schnyder; Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia, , 6-0 6-1 over Lourdes Dominguez Lino of Spain; and Germany’s Andrea Petkovic, who gained a fourth-round berth when China’s Peng Shuai withdrew with an injury suffered in a doubles match Friday evening.
In third-round men’s matches, second-seeded Roger Federer breezed through with a 6-4 6-3 6-3 victory over Paul-Henri Mathieu of France; fifth-seeded Robin Soderling of Sweden stopped Dutchman Thiemo de Bakker 6-2 6-3 6-3; Albert Montanes of Spain advanced when Japan’s Kei Nishikori retired while trailing 6-2 2-1; France’s Gael Monfils ousted Serbia’s Janko Tipsarevic 7-6 (4) 6-7 (4) 6-2 6-4; Richard Gasquet of France beat South Africa’s Kevin Anderson 6-4 7-6 (3) 7-5; and 19th-seeded American Mardy Fish outlasted Arnaud Clement of France 4-6 6-3 6-4 1-6 6-3.
Wozniacki and Sharapova have been two of the hottest players on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour since Wimbledon. The top-seeded Dane has won 17 of her 18 matches since the grass court Grand Slam tournament, while Sharapova has posted a 12-2 mark during the summer.
This will be their first meeting since 2008, when Wozniacki was just starting to move up the rankings. Sharapova, then ranked in the top five in the world, won both of their previous meetings, on hard court in Doha and on clay in Rome.
Saying those two matches won’t have any bearing on their next meeting, Wozniacki said,: “I think the next match will be a totally different match. You know, when we go out there, we both have 50 percent chance of winning. I just need to get those percentages for me.”
Pressed about playing Sharapova, who won the US Open in 2006, the second of her three Grand Slam tournament titles, Wozniacki was coy.
“I really don’t think too much who is on the other side (of the next),” she said. “I just want to do what I’m supposed to do out there on court, and I want to win. So it really doesn’t matter who’s on the other side. I feel like I’m playing well, so hopefully I can just keep my roll.”
Sharapova likewise sidestepped any rivalry questions.
“Every match is different,” she said. “You don’t worry about a match that’s two rounds away when you’re going into a particular match like today. You go out and just try to win the match, and you worry about the next one when it’s over.”
The Russian also noted Wozniacki’s experience on the hard courts of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
“She was the finalist here last year, so she’s accustomed to the court and the atmosphere,” Sharapova said. “She obviously knows how to play good tennis on the court. It will be interesting.”
Sharapova also said Saturday’s windy conditions were not that unusual.
“This is probably the toughest conditions we’re going to get,” she said. “But I think last year it was a similar situation. Third round, quite windy. I had a young opponent who came out and played great tennis. Today, I wanted to make sure I came out, concentrated and was consistent.”
How windy was it?
The wind blew Capra’s visor off her head, and several times lets were called because of wind-whipped napkins, hot dog wrappers and towels blowing across the court.
“Experience definitely helps,” Sharapova said. “But when you play someone coming up, young and eager, it’s always challenging, because they come out with nothing to lose and they can play some great tennis.”
Wozniacki has lost a total of three games in three matches.
“T think it just says something about how I’ve been playing and the level I’ve been playing on,” Wozniacki said. “It’s nice.”
For Roger Federer, the wind was just another tool in his arsenal.
“The wind was very strong,” he said. “Tough conditions to play in, especially if you’re down in the score. … That’s what the wind can do to you. It’s really hard to stay positive when you’re down and the wind is the way it is, like today.”
But Federer felt he had the advantage in the conditions.
“I kind of felt comfortable, you know, because you can also use it (the wind) to your advantage and play really great tennis. You have to be careful with it. Maybe not aim at the lines as much. After four games or so, I knew what I could do and what I couldn’t do.”