Caroline Wozniacki from Denmark ascended to the world number one ranking on Thursday, after her impressive victory in the quarter-finals of the China Open, dethroning tennis icon Serena Williams from the top spot.
In a third-round match illuminated under the lights at the Olympic Green Tennis Centre in Beijing, the 20-year-old Wozniacki triumphed over the Czech Republic’s Petra Kvitova with scores of 6-3, 6-2.
Notably, Wozniacki is the first player from her nation to hold the top ranking in women’s tennis, and she will take over Williams’ position, a 13-time grand slam champion, when new WTA rankings are released on Monday. Prior to this tournament, she was ranked second.
“This is an incredible feeling,” Wozniacki expressed with a smile.
“I’ve been performing really well, and this moment is truly special for me and my career.”
The blonde Dane acknowledged Williams, who had to pull out of the China Open due to a persistent foot injury that she sustained shortly after winning her fourth Wimbledon title in July.
“Serena is a remarkable champion… achieving what she has accomplished is a dream for me. I have much to learn from players like Serena,” she added.
Initially, Wozniacki appeared a bit nervous on the court, exchanging breaks with Kvitova, who previously defeated her in the round of 16 at Wimbledon this year, before securing the first set when Kvitova hit a forehand into the net.
In the second set, Wozniacki, the top seed in the tournament, found her rhythm, expertly maneuvering Kvitova from side to side and striking heavy topspin groundstrokes with both forehand and backhand.
After finishing the match, Wozniacki raised her arms in victory as Tina Turner’s “Simply the Best” echoed through the stadium.
Wozniacki becomes the 20th player in the history of the WTA to achieve the number one ranking and the 10th to do so before turning 21.
Among the elite members of this group, half are still active players. Earlier this week, Wozniacki referred to two former number one players, Steffi Graf and Martina Hingis, as her childhood “idols.”
Serena Williams, aged 29, has maintained the top ranking for a total of 123 weeks throughout her career; she too first reached number one at the age of 20.
Having turned professional five years prior, Wozniacki was ranked 64th in 2007. The following year, she captured her first WTA title and hasn’t looked back since.
Throughout the year, she celebrated titles in Ponte Vedra Beach, Copenhagen, Montreal, and New Haven, before clinching victory at the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo last week.
As the top seed at the US Open, she was knocked out in the semi-finals by Russia’s Vera Zvonareva—one of just two losses she has suffered since Wimbledon.
Questions about her worthiness for the top spot have arisen due to Wozniacki’s absence of a grand slam title, yet she brushed off such critiques with laughter, stating that winning a Slam was surely her “next goal.”
“I’m still young, and I have plenty of time ahead of me. This has been a fantastic season, and I feel I can take pride in it,” she asserted.
“I must relish in this moment.”
WTA Tour chief Stacey Allaster celebrated Wozniacki’s accomplishment, claiming that she is “a very, very deserving world number one.”
“This year, only two players have reached the fourth round in all four Grand Slams – Caroline and Venus Williams,” Allaster pointed out.
“She has won more matches than anyone else on tour…. Caroline is currently the most consistent player over the last 12 months.”
In other matches held in Beijing, China’s Li Na advanced to the quarter-finals with ease, while Russia’s seventh seed Elena Dementieva faced defeat against former number one Ana Ivanovic from Serbia, who will compete against Wozniacki in the quarter-finals.
On the men’s side of the joint WTA/ATP event, world number four Andy Murray and two-time French Open finalist Robin Soderling overcame challenges in their second-round matches, keeping their semi-final aspirations alive.
Murray, the second seed, narrowly defeated Spain’s Albert Montanes in two tough sets, 7-5, 6-3, amid smog so thick that organizers had to turn on the stadium lights in the afternoon.
Soderling fought for nearly two hours to win against another Spanish player, Nicolas Almagro, with scores of 7-5, 4-6, 6-3.
Spain’s eighth seed, David Ferrer, emerged victorious over Taiwan’s Lu Yen-Hsun in three sets and will face Soderling in the quarter-finals, while Murray will compete against big-serving Croatian Ivan Ljubicic.
Buford Balony says: She’s also the No 1 hottest player in tennis. That’s 2 number 1’s at once. Do you agree?
