An emotional Caroline Wozniacki yesterday finally lifted her first Grand Slam title at the 43rd attempt as she beat Simona Halep in three energy-sapping sets to win the Australian Open.
The Dane, who will become the new world No. 1, burst into tears as she secured the championship 7-6 (7/2), 3-6, 6-4 against the battling Romanian top seed on her first match point of a grueling, epic encounter.
“I’ve dreamt of this moment for so many years,” said second seeded Wozniacki after becoming the first player from Denmark to win a Grand Slam.
Photo: AFP
“My voice is shaking. I never cry, but this is a very emotional moment,” she said.
“I want to congratulate Simona, I know it’s a tough day,” she added after receiving the trophy from Billie Jean King.
“I’m sorry that I had to win today, but I’m sure we’ll have many matches in the future and it was an incredible match and an incredible fight and again, I’m sorry.”
Photo: AFP
Wozniacki, 27, had to overcome bouts of nerves throughout the long match. She wobbled when serving for the first set at 5-3 and had to come through a tiebreak.
“I want to thank my fiance,” she said, looking up to US basketball player David Lee in her box. “I was a nervous wreck this morning, I wanted to win so bad, but you calmed me down.”
Both players needed medical attention on court before the Dane prevailed in 2 hours 49 minutes on Rod Laver Arena.
Photo: AFP
For Wozniacki, victory meant shedding at last the unwanted moniker of best player never to win a major, having reached the US Open final in 2009 and 2014, and first becoming No. 1 in 2010.
For Halep, who surrendered her No. 1 status to Wozniacki in defeat, the wait goes on.
“It’s not easy to talk now, but first of all I want to congratulate Caroline,” said Halep, who was also appearing in her third Grand Slam final and first in Australia. “She played amazing. It’s been a great tournament for me. Of course I’m sad I couldn’t win today, but Caroline was better than me.”
“But I will fight and hopefully I will face another challenge like I did today. I’m sad that I couldn’t make it the third time, but maybe the fourth time will be with luck,” Halep added.
Wozniacki started the stronger, breaking Halep’s opening service game with the early evening temperature still above 30°C before racing into a 3-0 lead.
She had not won a set in either of her previous two Grand Slam final appearances and tightened visibly serving for this one and the set headed for a tiebreak.
The Dane went 4-1 up before a second mini-break and two solid serves gave her the tiebreak 7-2.
Wozniacki was growing in confidence and Halep needed to save four break points at 1-1 in the second set in a brutal game that lasted 11 minutes.
Soon after Halep signaled to her coach Darren Cahill that she was not feeling well and there were worrying scenes as she had her blood pressure taken and an ice towel applied in the next changeover.
She re-emerged with her energy drained and needed the luckiest of net cords to hold for 4-3.
Cramping, she decided to stand and deliver in the next game, keeping the points short.
Incredibly the tactic paid off as she broke Wozniacki with a ripping drive up the line to level the match.
The tournament’s extreme heat policy was invoked meaning the players took a 10-minute break before the start of the third set.
When they resumed neither of them could hold their serve until Wozniacki, after having a time-out to have her left knee strapped, held for 5-4 to force
Halep to serve to stay in the match. She could not manage it and a backhand into the net brought an end to her brave challenge.
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