NEW YORK, NY, USA - It didn't come easily, but Caroline Wozniacki, ranked No.2 and the No.1 seed here, won her 12th straight match - the longest winning streak of her career - to reach her second straight US Open quarterfinal.
Wozniacki had never taken a set off of No.14 seed Maria Sharapova but with a 63 64 decision completely turned the tables, putting together quieter but cleaner numbers - 16 winners to 10 unforced errors - against an aggressive but more erratic Sharapova, whose 36 errors outweighed her 32 winners.
"I felt like I was playing good tennis out there. I made her do those errors, and I'm really happy to have won this match," Wozniacki said. "I knew I could win when I went out there, but I also knew it would be tough. I knew I'd have to fight for every point. I knew she wasn't going to go away at all."
"Even with those errors, I still had my chances. I was one for eight on break points. Against someone that's playing with a lot of confidence, it's really important to take the chances that are coming your way," Sharapova said. "She was able to use many things to her advantage today. She's retrieving a lot of balls, serving really well and using the wind. I wasn't able to capitalize."
Wozniacki's retrieving skills were on full display on one point in particular, as Sharapova drew her into the net with a drop shot then lobbed her. Wozniacki started charging back for the lob but fell. "At first, I thought I should have hit that shot better. Then I was at the net and she lobbed me, so I thought, 'I have to go back.' Then I fall on my butt... then I look at the linesman and I see it's out.
"I was pretty lucky."
This was Sharapova's fourth dramatic loss at a Grand Slam this year. She lost to Maria Kirilenko in an Australian marathon, to Justine Henin in a see-saw three-setter at the French, was the only player to hold set points on Serena Williams at Wimbledon, and now a near-two hour loss in the US.
"Obviously it has been a bit unfortunate at the Grand Slams," Sharapova said. "I've had my fair share of chances and didn't take them throughout the year in the big events. That's just the way it has gone. But keep moving forward..."
Next for Wozniacki is Dominika Cibulkova, who upset No.11 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova earlier in the day. Wozniacki leads Cibulkova in their head-to-head, 4-1, losing their first meeting then winning four straight.
"Last time I played her I was 4-2 up playing great, and I just couldn't keep it up," Cibulkova said. "That's going to be my goal here, to be consistent throughout."
Read more about Cibulkova's upset of Kuznetsova here.
