Vinci, Wozniacki Advance To Round Of 16 At US Open
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Roberta Vinci, last year's US Open runner-up, didn't drop a game in the first set, failed to serve out the match in the second, then hung on in the third to keep another run at Flushing Meadows going.
The seventh-seeded Italian needed nearly two hours to top 102nd-ranked Carina Witthoeft 6-0, 5-7, 6-3 in the third round Friday. This is the fourth time Vinci has reached the round of 16 at the US Open — she's done it just three times combined at the other majors.
And last year, she stunned Serena Williams in the semis to thwart her Grand Slam bid. It was Vinci's first major final at age 32.
The 21-year-old Witthoeft, who's been ranked as high as 49th, was looking to make her first Grand Slam round of 16. She's now 0-5 against top-10 opponents.
Vinci was two points from victory while serving at 5-4 in the second set, but Witthoeft broke back, part of a run of four straight games to even the match. Vinci went up a break to start the third only for Witthoeft to later get the set back on serve. Then Vinci won the last three games to move on.
Also Friday, two-time US Open runner-up Caroline Wozniacki advanced to her first Grand Slam round of 16 since last year's Wimbledon.
Her ranking down to No. 74 after an ankle injury and on-court struggles, Wozniacki beat Monica Niculescu 6-3, 6-1 on Friday. It's the first time since January she's won three matches at the same tournament.
Against the 58th-ranked Niculescu, who presents an unusual style with a forehand slice, Wozniacki played more aggressively than her normal defensive game. Wozniacki is now 7-0 against the Romanian, who was trying to equal her best performance at a major by reaching the round of 16.
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