With her dubious No. 1 ranking secure for at least three more weeks, Caroline Wozniacki is taking a break.
Her enforced vacation began on Monday when she lost in the fourth round at the Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Florida, to Andrea Petkovic of Germany, 7-5, 3-6, 6-3.
“I’m just going to take a few days of rest now,” Wozniacki said. “I need that, you know — maybe on the beach, get some of the tan lines off.”
Photo: AFP
Wozniacki’s play paled next to Petkovic’s at pivotal moments.
Leading 5-4 in the opening set, Wozniacki failed to convert three set points. As the final set slipped away, she angrily kicked at a ball — and failed to make solid contact.
That was one of her many unforced errors.
Photo: Reuters
The ranking system draws criticism because Wozniacki has been on top for nearly six months, despite never winning a Grand Slam tournament. She will remain No. 1 through at least April 18, but with Serena and Venus Williams skipping Key Biscayne for health reasons, Wozniacki missed a chance to strengthen her claim to the top spot.
“I’m not thinking about that,” she said. “Of course I would have loved to have won today, but it didn’t happen. I’m not going to dig a hole for myself, or dig a grave. I will just take a few days of rest and I’m prepared for the clay season.”
Petkovic, ranked a career-best 23rd, hit an ace to end the first set and another on match point. She waved her arms as she danced at the net to celebrate her biggest victory.
“It’s the Petko Dance,” she later said with a smile.
No. 16 seed Maria Sharapova scored her first win over a top-five player in more than three years, beating No. 4 Samantha Stosur 6-4, 6-1. Sharapova, a two-time runner-up at Key Biscayne, earned a berth in the quarter-finals against No. 26 Alexandra Dulgheru.
On the men’s side, two-time champion Roger Federer and top-ranked Rafael Nadal advanced to the fourth round. Federer, who slipped to third in the rankings last week, beat No. 32 Juan Monaco 7-6 (7/4), 6-4. Nadal, seeking his first Key Biscayne title, never faced a break point and defeated fellow Spaniard Feliciano Lopez 6-3, 6-3.
Federer’s clean and clinical victory in over the Argentine improved his overall Key Biscayne mark to 38-10.
“It was tough not having played him very often,” Federer said. “This is as slow as it gets out on the hard court. It’s a bit of clay almost except that you can’t slide.”
Federer will next play longtime friend Olivier Rochus, a winner over Russian Mikhail Youzhny 1-6, 6-3, 6-3.
The night session was plagued by rain showers, which resulted in two matches having to be carried over.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France and Alexandr Dolgopolov were in the third set with Dolgopolov ahead 6-7 (2/7), 6-4, 3-2 when rain halted their match.
Seventh-seeded Wimbledon finalist Tomas Berdych beat Argentine Carlos Berlocq 7-6 (10/8), 7-5. Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia beat German Philipp Petzschner 6-3, 6-3 in their third-round contest.
Germany’s Florian Mayer stopped Spanish 11th seed Nicolas Almagro 6-1, 3-6, 6-1.
Wozniacki is tied for the tour lead in victories this year and she earned her 14th career title a week ago at Indian Wells. However, she has little history of success at Key Biscayne, where she has yet to reach the semi-finals.
Content as always to stay behind the baseline, she doggedly battled Petkovic on a warm afternoon for two-and-a-half hours. However, Wozniacki converted only five of 17 break-point opportunities.
Petkovic became the first -German woman to reach the tournament’s quarter-finals since Anke Huber in 2001. She next faces No. 6 Jelena Jankovic, who beat Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-1, 6-3.
In other women’s action, Pole Agnieszka Radwanska crushed Roland Garros winner Francesca Schiavone, wining the first eight games in a 6-0, 6-2 hammering of the Italian. Serb sixth seed Jelena Jankovic beat Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-1, 6-3, while Romanian Alexandra Dulgheru beat China’s Peng Shuai 6-3, 6-4.
Kim Clijsters’ night match against Ana Ivanovic was delayed a day.
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