Wozniacki Storms Back to Win Malaysian Open Crown
Caroline Wozniacki captured her first title of 2015 on Sunday, coming back from a set down to defeat Romanian Alexandra Dulgheru 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 and win the Malaysian Open championship.
The top-seeded Dane entered Sunday’s final without dropping a set all tournament long, but was put to the test by the young Dulgheru early on. She notched a break in the opening games and build a 3-1 lead, eventually closing out the opening frame 6-4.
From that point on, though, the match belonged to Wozniacki. After allowing two break points in the first, she didn’t surrender a single one in the final two sets, winning 12 of the last 15 games to win in one hour and 50 minutes.
“I think she played well the whole match,” said Wozniacki. “She tried to play aggressive and take the ball early. But I knew she had a tough match yesterday, so I just kept playing my game and kept trying to put pressure on her. I think I stepped up in the second and third sets, and it paid off.”
Wozniacki’s ground strokes and aggressiveness really picked up in those final two frames, putting the pressure on Dulgheru’s racket. She was able to convert two break points in the second and third sets to record the 23rd title of her career.
She gets ready for the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells now, a tournament where she has experienced a great deal of success in over the years. She was a champion there in 2011 and reached the finals in 2010 and 2013.
“I think things have been going my way. Things are great,” said a happy Wozniacki. “I’m excited for Indian Wells. It’s one of my favorite tournaments of the season, so hopefully I can play well there.”
