"I’m pretty mad at Serena Williams" - Caroline Wozniacki jokes about being upset at American for snubbing her match to watch Tommy Paul at US Open
Although Serena Williams made an appearance at the 2024 US Open on Day 6, she chose not to attend her close friend Caroline Wozniacki's third-round clash. Wozniacki hilariously expressed her anger with the American legend for skipping the contest.
Following her dominant straight-set wins over Nao Hibino and Renata Zarazua, Wozniacki squared off against Jessika Ponchet in the third round of the New York Major, beating the Frenchwoman 6-3, 6-2. The Dane produced a clinical performance, striking 20 winners and eight unforced errors compared to Ponchet's 19 winners and 27 unforced errors.
With her win, Wozniacki became only the seventh woman aged 34 or older to reach the fourth round of the US Open in the Open Era, the first since Serena Williams to achieve this feat. Interestingly, the 23-time Grand Slam champion was present at Flushing Meadows during the Dane's match but chose not to attend.
Speaking in her on-court interview, Caroline Wozniacki hilariously admitted that she was "pretty mad" at Williams for snubbing her match in favor of watching Tommy Paul, who claimed a 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-1, 7-6(3) win over Gabriel Diallo.
"I hope so. I’m gonna text her. I’m pretty mad at her for not showing up at my match. I saw she was watching Tommy. We have to talk about that a bit later," Caroline Wozniacki said.
The former World No. 1 also expressed her satisfaction with getting past Jessika Ponchet's "unothodox" display and thanked the crowd for creating a "special" atmosphere with their support.
"I'm really happy to be through today. It wasn't easy. She was playing a little bit unorthodox tennis, it's really hard to read the game and so I just fought every point and did as best as I could out there," she said.
"I love playing in New York. It's such a special place to me and my family. I mean, it's a big party here, thank you for coming out and supporting. You guys really make it special," she added.
Caroline Wozniacki on potentially reaching third US Open final: "I would love to go all the way but it's only going to get harder"
Caroline Wozniacki is no stranger to making deep runs at the US Open, having reached the final of the New York Major twice. However, the Dane fell short of winning the trophy, losing to Kim Clijsters in the 2009 final and being trounced by Serena Williams in the 2014 final.
Although Wozniacki expressed her desire to clinch the title this year, she expressed caution and acknowledged that the competition would only get tougher in the second week.
"Of course. I would love to go all the way but it's only going to get harder from here and I'm just thrilled to be through to the fourth round and feeling really good. I'm excited to get another match, hopefully on one of the big courts and have fun out there," Caroline Wozniacki said in the same interview.
Following her win over Jessika Ponchet, Caroline Wozniacki will take on the winner of the match between Anna Kalinskaya and Beatriz Haddad Maia in the fourth round of the US Open. If the Dane emerges victorious, she will face Karolina Muchova or Jasmine Paolini in a blockbuster quarterfinal clash.