Caroline Wozniacki Advances In Second Round Of 2013 AEGON International; Petra Kvitova, Angelique Kerber Fall

Caroline Wozniacki (click to enlarge)

Took a little blog break after the Wegmans LPGA Championship. Was going to wait until Wimbledon started to start posting again, but my Caroline Wozniacki fandom compelled me to come back early. I remain a believer in Caroline. Although getting to the 3rd round of the 2013 AEGON International seems underwhelming considering Wozniacki is a former world #1, I do think it’s a nice step forward. Laura Robson is a dangerous opponent. Getting by her 6-4 6-4 is a nice win for Caro. Even better would be if she can get by her next opponent, the similarly formidable Ekaterina Makarova. Usually, I would say the AEGON International isn’t really all that important to win for top players. I’d recommend getting a few grass court rounds in and then rest up for the real jewel next week, Wimbledon.

Petra Kvitova (click to enlarge)

That’s why I look at Petra Kvitova, Angelique Kerber and Samantha Stosur being upset with little alarm. I am not saying they were trying to tank the matches. 2011 Wimbledon champion Kvitova took Yanina Wickmayer to a 5-7 3rd set before bowing out, so I don’t think she was trying to lose. That said, I think it’s better for players who could contend to get some matches in on grass and then rest up for the fortnight.

singles – Second round
EKATERINA MAKAROVA (RUS) D [3] ANGELIQUE KERBER (GER)	\| 6 – 3 \| 6 – 4 \|
[5] CAROLINE WOZNIACKI (DEN) D LAURA ROBSON (GBR)	\| 6 – 4 \| 6 – 4 \|
[6] MARIA KIRILENKO (RUS) D ELENA BALTACHA (GBR)	\| 4 – 6 \| 6 – 4 \| 6 – 3 \|
YANINA WICKMAYER (BEL) D [4] PETRA KVITOVA (CZE)	\| 3 – 6 \| 6 – 4 \| 7 – 5 \|
ELENA VESNINA (RUS) D HEATHER WATSON (GBR)	\| 6 – 1 \| 3 – 6 \| 6 – 2 \|
[2/W] NA LI (CHN) D MARION BARTOLI (FRA)	\| 0 – 0 \|
LUCIE SAFAROVA (CZE) D SAMANTHA STOSUR (AUS)	\| 7 – 6 (5) \| 6 – 3 \|
JAMIE HAMPTON (USA) D SU-WEI HSIEH (TPE)	\| 6 – 4 \| 7 – 6 (2) \|