Ruthless Wozniacki barges into quarters
MELBOURNE: Ruthless Caroline Wozniacki kicked into full gear Sunday to storm into the Australian Open quarterfinals with workmanlike Marin Cilic joining her after winning his 100th Grand Slam match.
On an overcast and muggy day at quarterfinals in Melbourne twice beMelbourne Park, the world No. 2 Dane fore, most recently in 2016, credited turned on the style to take another step her fightback with a conscious detowards a maiden Grand Slam title. cision to be more aggressive.
The assured Wozniacki, a semifinal“I was thinking that I was playing ist in 2011 who has never quite lived up good, but not too aggressive. I want to to the hype in the majors, annihilated play like this, but sometimes you can19th-seeded Magdalena Rybarikova 6not,” said Suarez Navarro, one of the few 3, 6-0 on Rod Laver Arena in her most who still use a one-handed backhand. impressive performance to date. “My team all the time they say
“She really mixes up the pace, I me, play aggressive, play aggressive. just tried to calm down, get my reThat’s I think what I did.” turns in and wait for the opportuLooking ahead to Wozniacki, she nities to attack,” she said after crushadded: “I know how she plays. I ing the Slovak, who made the semiknow how tough she is. It will be a finals at Wimbledon last year. really interesting match.”
“I think you can tell my confidence Former US Open champion Cilic is pretty good at the moment.” mastered Spain’s 10th seed Pablo Carreno
Her easy passage sets up a last-eight Busta in four sets to reach the last eight in clash with gritty Spaniard Carla Suarez Melbourne for the second time. Navarro, who battled back from a set The sixth seeded Croat was the betand 4-1 down to shatter the hope softer of the two in the long rallies to 32nd seed Anett Kontaviet. win 6-7 (2/7), 6-3, 7-6 (7/0), 7-6 (7/
The Estonian had been bubbling 3) and set up a clash with either world with confidence after despatching No. 1 Rafael Nadal or Argentina’s DiFrench Open champion Jelena ego Schwartzman on Tuesday. Ostapenko in the third round, but “It was a big battle and I am really nerves got the better of her. relieved that I played such a great tie
The Spaniard, who has made the breaker at the end,” said Cilic.