Rogers Cup in La belle province: Le match de la journée
August 9, 2012 · Print This Article
by: Charles Blouin-Gascon
Canadian Aleksandra Wozniak received a tough draw at the 2012 Rogers Cup but so far, she’s responded brilliantly to both of her first two tests.
After a two-set win over Daniel Hantuchova, Wozniak was back on Centre Court on Thursday Aug. 9, 2012. The native of Blainville, Que., reached the third round of the Rogers Cup for the first time with a convincing win over No. 18-ranked Jelena Jankovic–6-2 and 6-3 in 1:31 of play.
This was a first win over the Serbian in five career meetings, and Wozniak said that, “It was about time.”
Wozniak was thrilled when she sat down with and who talked to the reporters after the match. “It couldn’t have worked out any better,” she said. “I’m very happy to be playing here, and also I am very happy with my level of tennis.”
The Canadian, currently ranked No. 55, was dominant from the beginning of the match despite a hiccup in her first service game. She had a clear game plan, and said it worked well. “I was trying to give her no rhythm,” she said, “and in fact I was trying to make her make mistakes.”
Jankovic did plenty of these, as Wozniak played some of her best tennis while Jankovic did not. Afterward, the Serbian said that, “There were a lot of things that were in my control that I didn’t do and she took advantage of that.”
While Jankovic served a higher percentage of first serves than her opponent (i.e. 58 to 53 percent), the shot wasn’t effective. She won only 23 of 41 points when she did put her first serve in play. “Nobody can rush me and do something to make the shot worse,” she said. “I tried to stay positive, and I was fighting right to the end.”
It seemed like the 27-year-old was never comfortable on the court–she did ask for an injury timeout, but later minimized the impact–and though she tried, never managed to pressure Wozniak enough.
The Canadian recognized she decided to focus strictly on herself and not so much on what her opponent did or didn’t do. “I really wanted to win today and be so focused on what I had to do and not so much on how she plays,” Wozniak said.
Though her lone title has come in the 2008 season, Wozniak says this is one of her better seasons with the highlight being her participation in the Olympic Games. “I was dreaming of representing Canada,” said Wozniak, whose confidence has grown in anticipation of tough match-ups.
“I’m happy with my game right now,” the 24-year-old said. “I have improved and I am more consistent.”
From there, the main draw opens up maybe a little bit for the Canadian, as she will be matched up against either American Christina McHale or Kazakh Galina Voskoboeva. The two were on serve in the third set when rain effectively took over the evening session.
For more Rogers Cup talk and quirky commentary, follow Charles Blouin-Gascon on Twitter @CeeeBG
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