After surviving a huge scare in her second round encounter, Caroline Wozniacki looked much more clinical and in control on Friday, with the Dane seeing off Kiki Bertens in straight sets to reach the fourth round at the Australian Open.
Wozniacki, seeded second in Melbourne, was forced to save two match points in her second round clash against Jana Fett, though looked much more comfortable on court today. It was by no means an easy match, with Bertens playing well herself, but the Dane impressed as she sealed a 6-4, 6-3 victory in an hour and 26 minutes in the Rod Laver Arena.
Wozniacki proves too much for Bertens in late clash
The two women were the last people out on court on Friday, with their match eventually finishing past midnight local time, though this seemed to play very little part in what was an engaging contest, though it was the Dane who was the stronger of the two.
The very opening stages were competitive, with Wozniacki saving a break point in the opening game, though the second seed fought hard to seal a 3-0 lead within 12 minutes. Despite finding herself behind, Bertens was still playing well and with Wozniacki faltering slightly when serving for the set at 5-3, was able to take advantage as she broke to even up proceedings. However, after staying in close range and eventually breaking back, some sloppy play cost the Dutchwoman dearly, as Wozniacki broke to love to seal the first set.
After breaking to take the opening set, Wozniacki once again started the second set quickly, easing to a 3-0 lead just as she did in the first set. The Dane was impressing many on court, with her serving working well and her aggressive style of play working in her favor, though she was unable to break again, with the 30th seed hanging in and applying pressure on the Dane late on in the set. Serving for the match at 5-3, Wozniacki was forced to save four break points and missed two match points in what was a fiery game, though the Dane did not waste a third match point as secured a fourth round berth.
Following such a difficult second round on Wednesday, it was important for the second seed to put in a much more confident performance today, and she did just that in a fine win over a potentially tricky opponent. Wozniacki next faces 19th seed and Wimbledon semifinalist Magdalena Rybarikova; a win over the Slovak would see her reach the last eight in Melbourne for the first time since 2012.