NEW YORK, NY, USA - On a very windy Tuesday evening on Arthur Ashe Stadium, Caroline Wozniacki extended her winning streak to 13 matches in a row with a 62 75 victory against Dominika Cibulkova, moving into the semifinals of the year's final Grand Slam event for the second consecutive year.
Wozniacki, the No.1 seed, had her biggest test of the tournament, not just with the wind but with a feisty Cibulkova, who - after a frustrating start, where she was clearly aggravated by the wind - picked up her game in a big way, beginning to force the points with her forehand and cutting her errors down. It may have been too late though, as she shanked one last forehand on match point, her 43rd unforced error of the match (Wozniacki ended with 18 total errors).
"From one side you barely hit it and the ball was flying, then from the other side you had to really hit through it because the ball didn't go anywhere," Wozniacki said. "I was just trying to get in position so I could get the balls in the court."
Wozniacki had some star power, namely Donald Trump and his wife, in her box. "It was really nice to have him in my box today. It was an honor for me to play in front of him and his wife. It was a great feeling and really good support."
Wozniacki hasn't dropped a set yet this entire tournament. She also improved to 5-1 lifetime against Cibulkova, winning their last five meetings.
"I'd say it was the most difficult conditions I've ever played in. But it was about fighting... and today, my tennis was more affected by the wind than Caroline's," said Cibulkova, a former world No.12 who missed last year's US Open with injury and has been working her way back up the rankings this year. "I'm really disappointed after this, because before the match I was ready to go to the semifinals and I had my plan. But when I wake up tomorrow morning I'll feel better, and I hope to keep going like this the rest of the season."
Wozniacki next face No.7 seed Vera Zvonareva, who reached the semis with a 63 75 win over No.31 seed Kaia Kanepi. Read more about that here.
Wozniacki and Zvonareva are tied in their head-to-head, 2-2.
"Caroline's playing great tennis at the moment," Zvonareva said. "She has been so consistent and won a few tournaments in a row. We've played a few times and I'm expecting a very tough one. She's very mature for her age, and I think a lot of people are underestimating her. She's doing her job very, very well."
In their last meeting, in the final of Montréal a few weeks ago, because of constant rain over the weekend, both Wozniacki and Zvonareva had to play their semifinals Monday morning before taking the court for the final Monday afternoon. Wozniacki won handily in straight sets that day.
"In Montréal I just couldn't find my game," Zvonareva said. "I had to play Victoria in the morning and they have absolutely different styles of game, so it was very difficult for me to change my mindset and switch to another match. When I finally started to find my game, Caroline came up with some great shots. I didn't have enough time on the court to get used to her game."
