World number one and 21-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams fended off the challenge of good friend Caroline Wozniacki 7-5, 6-4 to register her third career Madison Square Garden victory at the BNP Paribas Showdown in New York. Wozniacki was playing her second career match at the World's Most Famous Arena, while Williams was playing her third. 

Williams Fights Through Tricky Opening Set

Wozniacki began the match holding to love for 1-0. The American then held easily for 1-1. The Dane then fought back from love forty down to hold, putting together five straight points to go up 2-1. Williams then held again easily, before Wozniacki held her serve, closing out the game with an ace.

The 21-time Grand Slam champion then held after a close deuce game, firing a bullet backhand down the line to get the advantage, before closing the game out with an unreturned serve. In the seventh game of the match, Wozniacki faced a break point but saved it with a big forehand winner, bringing the game to deuce.

The former world number one then got the game to advantage before the current world number one hit her return out, giving the hold to Wozniacki. At 4-3, Williams held a tight service game to keep the match on serve. The two-time US Open finalist then got out to a thirty love lead courtesy of a lengthy point, finished by a brilliant volley exchange between the two, with Wozniacki holding serve to love to go up 5-4.

With the pressure on the American to serve to stay in the set, Williams' level rose, holding for love to stay in the set. Wozniacki got out to a thirty love lead in the game with a blistering backhand down the line winner, but the American came back winning the next four points, finishing with a big forehand cross court winner, to give herself the chance to serve to stay in the match.

In the next game at a crucial thirty-all point, Williams hit a big, jumping overhead to bring up set point. Wozniacki saved the set point with a net cord bounce, but Williams won the next point to bring up a second set point, before being saved by Wozniacki.

Wozniacki then pulled a forehand volley wide, bringing up another set point for the American, again saved this time by a blistering forehand down the line winner by the Dane. Williams was then down a break point, taking her turn to save a break chance. The American then hit a big volley winner to bring up another set point, before closing it out with a big ace down the middle, to take the set 7-5. 

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Williams Fends Off Wozniacki's Resistance

Wozniacki began the second set, holding to love in a game both players played left handed, with the Dane showing her left handed prowess over the American. Williams then held easily, with the former world number one botching a tweener to give the American the game.

In an unexpected mixed doubles appearance earlier between Williams and Wozniacki with men's stars Stan Wawrinka and Gael Monfils, the Dane pulled off the tweener with great skill, but her second attempt wasn't as fruitful. Williams then broke for 2-1 after the Dane framed a ball to give the American the early break. Williams then held to love, before the Dane held to keep the margin to one break. The two-time US Open finalist then broke back, leveling the set at 3-3.

Williams then broke back on the Dane, converting her second break point in the game to put herself two games from victory. The American fought through a tricky service game, facing multiple break points, but fending off all of them to eventually hold with a big ace down the middle, putting the pressure on the Dane to serve to stay in the match.

Both players struggled with break point conversions tonight, with both squandering many break chances. Wozniacki then held to stay in the match, holding to thirty to force her good friend, Williams, to serve the match out. Williams closed out the win to thirty, and despite double faulting on her second match point, Williams served out the win, crushing an overhead to take her third Madison Square Garden victory. 

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BNP Paribas Showdown History

The event started as the Billie Jean King Cup back in 2009 and featured Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Ana Ivanovic, and Jelena Jankovic. Serena won the inaugural edition of the event in 2009, when it was a two match tournament. The next year the event featured the same players as in 2009, expect Serena Williams was replaced by Svetlana Kuznetsova. Starting in 2011, the event was changed to a one night tennis exhibition, called the BNP Paribas Showdown, to celebrate World Tennis Day. Over the past six years, tennis greats John McEnroe, Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Ivan Lendl, Roger Federer, Maria Sharapova, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray have all competed in the world's most famous arena, making it a goal for all tennis players. 

Tennis' Large Connection To New York City

With tennis' second largest Grand Slam, the US Open, being played in New York, the Big Apple has become known as a big tennis town. With the showdown in March and the Open in April, tennis fans are bound to get lots of chances to see their favorite starts in New York. At the match today, it was announced New York would get a new World Team Tennis team, the New York Empires, after previously having the New York Sportimes up until 2013. The Empires will play their home matches at the West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills, Queens, where the US Open was played from 1924 to 1977. 

Wozniacki and Williams also have big connections to the city, as both of them have enjoyed major success at the US Open. The Dane is a two-time finalist, while Williams is a six-time champion. The two good friends met in the 2014 US Open final, where Williams claimed her eighteenth Grand Slam, a special moment for the world number one to share with her good friend. 

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Wozniacki Discusses Sharapova's Failed Drug Test

After the shock news of Maria Sharapova's failed drug test rocked the tennis world yesterday, Caroline Wozniacki was asked about the failed test by the Russian. 

"I think any time we take any medication, we double- and triple- and quadruple-check, because sometimes even things like cough drops and nasal sprays can be on the [banned] list," Wozniacki said Tuesday at a press conference ahead of her Madison Square Garden match with Serena Williams. "As athletes we really always make sure there's nothing in it that is prohibited." 

Wozniacki and Williams will now travel to Indian Wells for the BNP Paribas Open starting tomorrow. 

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About the author
Thomas Cluck
Thomas Cluck is an avid tennis fan who loves to share his passion for the sport through writing. Thomas is from Dallas, TX, and is an tennis agent and PR person. Thomas has been watching tennis for many years and covers the sport daily on his Instagram page @atpwta_tennis.