Wozniak continues her climb
Canadian takes another step toward returning to form with win
It’s a far cry from 2009 when the world ranking next to her name was 21.
Nowadays, Canada’s Aleksandra Wozniak must live with seeing a 400 next to her name as she navigates her way through the ITF’s Pro Circuit on the long road back from her 2014 shoulder surgery.
But that’s just fine for the 29-year-old Canadian, who was once a regular at Grand Slam events and on Wednesday made quick work of Melanie Oudin — 6-3, 6-1 in under an hour — in the main draw of the $75,000 Coleman Vision Tennis Championships at Tanoan Country Club.
“It’s getting there,” Wozniak said. “It’s been such a long journey back. One year of physical therapy every day and I lost my rankings, my points. The goal is to build the ranking back up.”
Wozniak, who plays with two screws in her surgically repaired right shoulder and relearned an entirely new serving motion after the operation, said she feels “halfway” back to where she wants to be in terms of rankings.
After that year off rehabbing her shoulder, she watched that world ranking “go from 1,400 to 1,200, and then a little bit up here and there” to its current spot at 400.
“I really want to get back to top 50,” she said. “I know I was 21 in the world, but right now, the long-term goal is to get back to Top 50, but it’s tough. As long as my shoulder keeps being strong like this, I think it can happen.”
Wednesday certainly looked like she’s well on her way. She scored the first six points of the first set, led at one point 5-1 and later closed out Oudin winning five consecutive games in the second set.
Oudin is on the road back from injury and health issues of her own (the two last met each other on the grass of Wimbledon in 2014 prior to Wozniak’s surgery). The 24-year-old from Marietta, Ga., played in the finals of the $50,000
One Love Tennis Open in Atlanta on Sunday. Wednesday, she never looked in sync, making a lot of uncharacteristic mistakes for a player who has played five times in the high-altitude Coleman Vision.
“I tried to play deep, but be aggressive,” Wozniak said. “And she was making a lot of unforced errors. I try to be aggressive. When you push your opponent, she’s already on (her) back foot.”
Wozniak plays No. 7 seed Paula Cristina Goncalves of Brazil today in the round of 32 at 1 p.m. on stadium court at Tanoan.
IN OTHER MATCHES: Just one of the tournament’s eight seeded players didn’t advance past the opening round of the main draw, and she was arguably the hottest player coming into the Coleman Vision.
No. 4 Elise Mertens of Belgium, who on Sunday won the tournament in Atlanta against Oudin, was ousted Wednesday in two sets. The 20-year-old Mertens, like Oudin, didn’t play the cleanest of matches, committing eight double faults in a 6-3, 7-6 (4) loss against Germany’s Anna Zaja.
Mertens has advanced to the doubles quarterfinals with teammate Mandy Minella, the No. 1-seeded singles player.
... Defending Coleman Vision champion Michaella Krajicek of the Netherlands turned in one of the more dominating wins of the day by beating American Usue Maitane Arconada 6-3, 6-0. The No. 8 seed, Krajicek benefited from six aces (the highest total in Wednesday’s matches) and closed the match by winning seven consecutive games. Krajicek will plays Renata Zarazua of Mexico today in the round of 32.
... Sachia Vickery, the 21-year-old from Florida who first played at the Coleman Vision four years ago, won the day’s longest match (2 hours, 20 minutes) in three sets over France’s Amandine Hesse — 4-6, 6-4, 6-4. Vickery will play No. 6 Montserrat Gonzalez today.