Caroline Wozniacki suddenly has a shot at her best finish in a Grand Slam tournament since capturing the Australian Open title — the lone major victory of her career — in 2018.
The former No. 1 player in the world advanced to the fourth round of the U.S. Open for the second consecutive year — after returning to the sport in 2023 following a three-year absence to start a family — with a 6-3, 6-2 win on the Grandstand court Saturday over French qualifier Jessika Ponchet.
The 34-year-old Wozniacki will face the winner of Saturday night’s match between No. 15 Anna Kalinskaya and No. 22 Beatriz Haddad Maia for a spot in the quarterfinals.
“I’m thrilled to be into the second week, of course,” Wozniacki said afterward. “It’s always nice. I love playing here. Any time I get to play another match here, I’m very pleased with that.
“I’m so happy to be through to the next round. It was tricky today, because I didn’t really know my opponent. I never met her before. She played a bit of unorthodox tennis compared to other players. It was really difficult to read her game, so just really happy to be through.”
Wozniacki — a two-time Open finalist, albeit not since 2014 — retired from the sport in 2020 and had two children during her time off with her husband, former Knicks forward David Lee.
The Denmark native returned to the game in June of last year and thrilled the crowds at Billie Jean King National Tennis Center as a wild-card entry before losing in the fourth round to eventual champion Coco Gauff.
Wozniacki was knocked out in the third round at Wimbledon earlier this summer, but she won each of her first two matches earlier this week in straight sets over Nao Hibino and Renata Zarazua.
“If my body can hold up and if everything kind of goes the right direction, I believe that I can go very far,” Wozniacki said. “How far? We’ll see. But obviously I always believed in myself. This is one of those times that I’m playing a tournament that I feel very much at home. It’s a very good surface for me. So I feel optimistic about that.”
Wozniacki received treatment for back and arm issues earlier in the tournament, but she believes her mindset and her game have come together at the right time.
“I think for me at this stage obviously it’s a lot different than it was back in the day,” she said. “I think I really try and peak for the Slams right now. Back in the day, I was fresh and ready to play every single tournament. Now I’m using every tournament that I play for the Grand Slams, and that’s my main goal.
“So that’s kind of where my mindset is at. I think that the most realistic thing I can do right now is just think of the Slams and how I can play the best in those moments.”
