Another Big Name Falls As Wozniacki Loses At Wimbledon
LONDON (CNN) - After her Australian Open success in January, Caroline Wozniacki -- to her relief -- won't ever be asked when she will win a maiden grand slam title. But she's probably asking herself why she continues to struggle at Wimbledon after she was ousted by a familiar foe, Ekaterina Makarova, 6-4 1-6 7-5 on Wednesday.
Wozniacki has never reached a Wimbledon quarterfinal, losing six times in the fourth round. But the Dane must have had hopes of a longer stay this time around. And she's not the only big name to crash in the first week of Wimbledon this year, as the seeds continued to tumble in the women's draw.
Half of the top 10, to be more precise, have now bid adieu to the All England Club, including pre-tournament favorite Petra Kvitova. Another big name, Maria Sharapova, joined Kvitova on the sidelines Tuesday following a marathon reverse.
Wozniacki memorably rallied from a 5-1 final set deficit, and saved two match points against little known Jana Fett in the second round in Melbourne, before going all the way. She almost duplicated the feat against Makarova in Wimbledon's second round, reversing another 5-1 deficit in the third set and fending off five match points.
At 4-1, Wozniacki questioned the condition of the court, feeling it was too slippery, but was told to continue.
Makarova, though, is more seasoned than Fett, and used to be a top 10 player. Now ranked 35th in the world, the Moscow native held firm and converted on her sixth match point courtesy of a swinging volley, then raised her arms in joy -- and probably relief, too.
Makarova was arguably the most dangerous player unseeded at Wimbledon, so Wozniacki certainly didn't benefit from any help from the draw gods. The left-hander adores the grass, having won Eastbourne herself in 2010 and appearing in nine grass court quarterfinals, including one in southwest London. She is also the defending doubles champion at Wimbledon, and eliminated Wozniacki at the same stage of last year's U.S. Open on the Dane's preferred surface of hard courts.
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