After 43 GS, Wozniacki is finally a winner
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) – For all her success in tennis, from holding the No. 1 ranking for more than a year to winning 27 titles, one question had plagued Caroline Wozniacki's career.
Did she have what it takes to win a major?
It took 43 Grand Slam tournaments and two failed attempts in finals before Wozniacki ended her drought with a 7-6 (2), 3-6, 6-4 win over top-seeded Simona Halep in the Australian Open final on Saturday night.
Only three woman have taken longer to achieve their major breakthrough, a list topped by 2015 US Open winner Flavia Pennetta (49).
“One of the most positive things about all of this – I'm never going to get that question again,” the 27-year-old Wozniacki said as she clung to the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup. “I'm just waiting for the question ‘When are you going to win the second one?’”
So more than eight years after appearing in her first Grand Slam final at the 2009 US Open – a straight sets loss to Kim Clijsters – Wozniacki has finally erased the “but never won a major” footnote on her resume.
“Obviously adding a Grand Slam to my CV is what caps it off ... shows my whole career as a whole,” Wozniacki said.
She'll also regain the top ranking next week for the first time in six years – beating Serena Williams' record of 5 years, 29 days between stints at No. 1 on the women's tour – in another benefit of beating the top-seeded Halep.
Wozniacki lost two US Open finals – in '09 and 2014 – and Halep lost two French Open finals before their meeting at Melbourne Park.
It set up a first major final in the Open era between players ranked No. 1 and 2 who had never won a Grand Slam title.