It was almost midnight on Tuesday when Caroline Wozniacki and Chelsey Gullickson finally stepped out onto Arthur Ashe Stadium after Rafael Nadal’s three-hour win against Teymuraz Gabashvilli and many fans had already packed it in for the night.
But that didn’t stop Wozniacki from putting on a show.
The top-seeded Dane dispatched Chelsey Gullickson 6-1, 6-1 in just over an hour and will now face Kai-Chen Chang in the second round. Only Flavia Pennetta has played more matches than Wozniacki on tour this year and her experience was evident against the 20-year old American who was making her grand slam debut.
“I love being back here, especially in a night session,” she told Darren Cahill of ESPN2. “The first match is always tough, but I’m happy to be through to the second round.
Gullickson received a U.S. Open wild card after capturing this year’s NCAA Division I women’s title for the University of Georgia as a sophomore, but her chances of having a breakout tournament took a dive when she drew the Wozniacki in the first round.
The rookie took that tough luck in stride, saying before the match, “I’m going to be on Arthur Ashe. This is something that I feel everyone looks forward to and everyone wishes that they could do. I’m going to go out there and have fun and play my game and enjoy the experience.”
Despite her loss, it won’t be the last time you hear the Gullickson name this week. Chelsey and her older sister Carly (the 2009 U.S. Open mixed champion) are playing doubles together and will take on Italians Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci in the first round. Chelsey is set to get one more whack at Wozniacki if both make it to the third round of the doubles draw.
Several other seeds struggled in their first round matches on a brutally hot Day Two, including No. 17 seed Nadia Petrova who, just days after losing to Wozniacki in the final at New Haven, fell to Andrea Petkovic 6-2, 4-6, 7-6.
No. 14 seed Maria Sharapova survived a scare at the hands of Jarmila Groth. The Australian came on strong in the first set, fearlessly firing winners from every angle, but Sharapova was able to work her way into the match, eventually emerging victorious 4-6, 6-3, 6-1.
Earlier in the day, No. 11 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova outlasted 39-year-old Kimiko Date Krumm 6-2, 4-6, 6-1. No. 4 seed Jelena Jankovic also narrowly escaped defeat against 18-year-old Simona Halep of Romania 4-6, 6-4, 7-5.
By Blair Henley