On shiny new Grandstand, Caroline Wozniacki outlasts Taylor Townsend in thrilling first-rounder

NEW YORK—On Monday at the U.S. Open, Taylor Townsend faced Caroline Wozniacki in the first-ever match on the shiny new Grandstand stadium. The first intense battle of the fortnight had a fitting arena, teeming with fans, as Wozniacki slipped away with the 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 win after more than two hours.

The bowl-shaped new stadium provided asymmetrical coverage from the unforgivable sun on a blazing hot day. Spectators were strategic in both their seating choices and rooting interests. As expected, the American’s huge left-handed forehand winners and first-serve bombs were greeted with raving applause.

"I didn't realize how big it was until people started to come in and started to get a little bit more packed. People started cheering. I was in awe," Townsend said. "It's such a beautiful stadium."

In the first set, Townsend used her strong forehand and tricky serve to put Wozniacki on the defensive and close at the net. The 21-year-old had two breaks of serve, and after a tense deuce game at 5-4, she managed to force two return errors with two big serves to close the set 6-4. Dictating play throughout, she hit 16 winners to Wozniacki’s five.

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Along with the crowd’s favor, Townsend had the advantage of having three qualifying matches under her belt, which she cruised through in straight sets. The world No. 146 has struggled with both form and injuries since first appearing in the spotlight two years ago, when she reached the third round of the 2014 French Open as a bright-eyed 18-year-old. The breakthrough didn’t spell further success, as her ranking slipped out of the Top 300 in 2015 after reaching a career-high of No. 94 that February.

Townsend’s inexperience showed early in the second set. Every shot from her racquet played right into Wozniacki’s steady baseliner strategy. The Dane raced ahead to a 3-0 lead as Townsend’s form dipped; the American hit just two winners and 10 unforced errors. Townsend relied heavily on flashy plays filled with sharp-angled forehands and crafty drop shots—a difficult style of play to maintain for a player of any caliber, and especially when playing the Wozniacki, a counterpunching extraordinaire. She handily raced away with the second set, 6-3.

As the temperatures rose into the 90s, with nowhere to hide in the Grandstand. While Townsend has often been criticized for her fitness, Wozniacki has only been lauded for hers. A lengthy third set certainly worked in Wozniacki’s favor, but she was too rusty to make it easy for herself. Still, she got the critical break at 4-4 by doing what she does best: stay patient. In the final set, Townsend would hit seven winners to 20 unforced errors. Wozniacki, on the other hand, was so consistent throughout all three sets that she kept both winners and unforced errors under 10.

"Obviously she stayed steady, which is her game," Townsend said. "There are a lot of different points that I feel like if I could have done something different or if I made a different decision that it could have maybe changed the outcome."

At deuce, up 5-4, Wozniacki ripped a huge forehand of her own to earn match point. A wide, sprayed forehand from Townsend handed her the match after two hours and 12 minutes.

Wozniacki has played considerably more high-level matches in her lengthy career, but her ranking has fallen severely. The former world No. 1 entered the U.S. Open as the world No. 74 after reaching the final here just two years ago.

Her celebrity power has not subsided with her lackluster results, however, as she has dabbled in a little acting— including an appearance in HBO’s Ballers—and a lot of red carpets after a severely sprained ankle took her off the tour for over two months. Injuries tend to come in patches, and the Dane suffered a left bicep tear in Washington D.C., but she still managed to carry the flag in the Rio Olympics opening ceremony.

The good news for Wozniacki—on top of escaping a first-round upset—is that she now appears as healthy as ever, and with the solitary victory has already defended her points from last year. She can only go up from here.