One of the most consistent performers on the WTA Tour this season has been Caroline Wozniacki, who has continued to rise up the rankings following a late surge in 2016.
After starting the season at 19th in the rankings, the former world number one is now ranked seventh, one spot off her season high, and is currently eighth on the Race To Singapore; she will be aiming to make the season-end finale for the first time since 2014.
Overall, it has been a good season for the Dane, though there has been some disappointing results and she is still aiming for her first WTA Title. It will be interesting to see how she continues her form over the coming few months.
Season Positives
Wozniacki had a hugely disappointing season up to this date in 2016, though has got off to a much better start this time, with a Grand Slam quarterfinal and four tour finals to her name; overall, she has reached the last eight of nine of her 14 tournaments.
The strongest part of her season came during the Middle East and American spring hard court swing, where she reached three finals in the space of four tournaments. The Dane reached the last eight in Indian Wells, though beat the likes of Karolina Pliskova to make the final at the following tournament at the Miami Open, where she fell to Johanna Konta and before that had reached back to back finals in Doha and Dubai, losing to Pliskova and Elina Svitolina respectively.
Furthermore, Wozniacki also reached the final at the Aegon International, beating the likes of world number two Simona Halep before falling to Pliskova in the final. The former world number one backed that up with a run to the second week at Wimbledon, beating Timea Babos, Tsvetana Pironkova, and Anett Kontaveit before losing to Coco Vandeweghe.
Wozniacki’s best Grand Slam result came at the French Open, where she reached the last eight for only the second time in her career. The Dane beat Jaimee Fourlis, Francoise Abanda, and Cici Bellis to reach the second week, before she overcame former champion Svetlana Kuznetsova to reach the last eight; there, she fell to eventual champion Jelena Ostapenko.
Season Negatives
Despite having a consistent season overall, there have undoubtedly been some disappointments for the two-time Grand Slam finalist.
Unsurprisingly, the Dane had a generally disappointing clay court season, losing early in Prague, Madrid, and Rome before her French Open run. Wozniacki also fell relatively early at the Australian Open, losing in the third round to Johanna Konta.
What will also be disappointing for Wozniacki is that she is yet to win a title this year. She has failed to win a set in any of the four finals she has reached, and has also missed some other chances to potentially win tournaments, such as in the opening two weeks of the season, where she fell in the last eight in Auckland to Julia Goerges and at the same stage to Barbora Strycova in Sydney.
Looking Ahead
After a consistent season so far, Wozniacki will be fairly confident heading into the American hard court summer; usually a strong part of the season for her.
The Dane’s best results usually come on hard courts, and she will be hoping to having a good preparation for the US Open, where she will be aiming for her first Grand Slam title at the tournament where she has twice reached the final. Following that, Wozniacki has title in Tokyo and Hong Kong to defend, and will be aiming for a strong end to the season with a WTA Finals place at stake.
Midseason Grade: B
Overall, it has been a very solid, if unspectacular, season for Wozniacki. The Dane has continued to rise up the rankings following a strong end to last season, reaching four finals and recording some solid results. However, there is no doubt that the Dane would be having a much more successful season had she been able to win a title.