Former world No.1 tennis player Caroline Wozniacki returned to the court for her first Grand Slam tournament and faced off against Russia’s Tatiana Prozorova in the first round of the women’s singles at the U.S. Open in New York on Monday night.
In her opening match, Wozniacki entered the tournament as a wild card and defeated Prozorova in two sets, 6-3 and 6-2.
“I’m just so happy to be through,” Wozniacki told the media after the match. “I think there were some things I did very well [and] other things I could do better, but all in all, I’m going to be thrilled with a win today. … It’s a little special playing a night session, and obviously, I was a little nervous going out there and finishing the match, but again, [I’m] just thrilled to be through in an exciting match and just get another one out there.”
Wozniacki retired to start a family after being eliminated in the third round of the 2020 Australian Open, but she returned to the court at the Canadian Open in Montreal earlier this month, winning her first match before losing in the second round. She has one Grand Slam title and 150 overall wins in her career.
Wozniacki will face Petra Kvitova, the No.11 women’s tennis player in the world and an opponent with whom she is familiar, in the next round of the U.S. Open on Wednesday.
Wednesday’s match will be the 15th between Wozniacki and Kvitova and the first since the 2018 WTA Finals in Singapore, which Wozniacki won in three sets. Kvitova leads the all-time series between the two 8-6.
“[She’s] someone I know very well and played many times, so I kind of know what to expect, but I’ve got to play better next match to beat her,” Wozniacki noted. “So does she, so I think it’s going to be an exciting one and just a good match out there.”
“We’ve been around a long time,” she added. “We’ve played each other many times, and I think, at the end of the day, we’re just out there to do our best and compete, and, hopefully, it’s going to be a great match.”
The start time for Wednesday’s match has yet to be announced.
