Caroline Wozniacki wins throwback BNP Paribas Open battle with Angelique Kerber

INDIAN WELLS, Calif.—Facing off in the California desert for the first time in over a decade, Caroline Wozniacki and Angelique Kerber turned back the clock for a vintage fourth-round contest at the BNP Paribas Open, with Wozniacki ultimately prevailing, 6-4, 6-2.

"Things were going a bit my way," Wozniacki said on court after the match. "I could see she was struggling a bit with her back, but even if it's a slower lefty serve, it's still a lefty serve and quite tricky. So, I just tried to stay focused out there and I'm just happy I won."

Wozniacki, who returned to action after four years off last August, endured a slow start to the 2024 season, losing three of her first four matches, but has come to life at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, and surged into her 37th WTA 1000 quarterfinal and her biggest since her comeback from maternity leave after 89 minutes on Stadium 2 Court.

"I don't take anything for granted," Wozniacki said. "I obviously took a very long break, more than three and a half years. So, for me to be back here on this court and playing against the best players in the world is a special feeling. I'm just enjoying myself and I'm thrilled to have another match!"

Though Kerber lead their overall head-to-head 8-7, Wozniacki won the two most recent matches of their rivalry in 2018 along with their lone encounter at the BNP Paribas Open back in 2013—a match infamous for its so-called “moonball rallies.”

But a lifetime has seemingly past since then, with both women leaving the tour and returning as mothers. Wozniacki made the surprise announcement last summer, not long after giving birth to her second child, while Kerber made good on her promise to come back to tennis after sitting out the 2022 US Open to begin her maternity leave. Wozniacki enjoyed a memorable run to the fourth round of last summer’s US Open, where she pushed eventual champion Coco Gauff to three sets. After just six tournaments, she is on the verge of returning to the Top 100.

Kerber’s comeback has only begun to pick up steam at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, where she won just the second match of the season and backed that up with a pair of impressive wins over No. 10 seed Jelena Ostapenko and No. 17 seed Veronika Kudermetova.

The three-time major champ looked to have the additional edge when it was reported that Wozniacki left practice on Monday in tears, fueling the belief that the Dane would be too injured to compete.

The injury was later revealed to have been a minor one to her toe, and the former world No. 1—arriving on court in matching Adidas outfits—showed no ill-effects on the outset, edging through the first three games of Tuesday’s match and threatened to win a fourth with Kerber serving.

As longtime coach Torben Beltz looked on, Kerber saved two break points—one with a smooth backhand approach—and got on the board. But Wozniacki was undeterred, serving through a close fifth game and engineering more break points off a clean backhand pass.

A missed forehand from Kerber handed the 2018 Australian Open champion a double-break advantage, but errors began to creep into Wozniacki’s game from there. Keber took full advantage, saving a set point to reel off three straight games.

Taking a medical timeout to address her toe injury, Wozniacki earned more set points on return, outrallying Kerber to take the opening set in just under an hour.

The second set began much like the first, with Wozniacki rolling out to a 3-0 lead. Kerber staved off an 0-4 deficit but was beginning to deal with an injury of her own, calling the trainer before the changeover. Requiring treatment for her back after feeling pain on serve, Kerber nonetheless could attack off the ground, forcing Wozniacki to save a break point even as she closed in on the finish line.

Though Kerber fought on, Wozniacki was soon at match point when the German netted a backhand. One more miss and Woznaicki was into the last eight, where either top seed Iga Swiatek or Yulia Putintseva await.