Caroline Wozniacki’s defence of her Australian Open title is over after the Dane was beaten 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 by Maria Sharapova here on Friday.
Nearly two years after her return to competition following her 15-month suspension for a drugs offence, Sharapova is still no higher than No 30 in the world rankings, but this was a reminder that the 31-year-old Russian remains a potent force. Wozniacki joined Simona Halep and Jelena Ostapenko among the players Sharapova has beaten in Grand Slam competition since her return.
Sharapova suggested that beating Wozniacki had no particular significance, but it is clear that there is no love lost between the two women. When Sharapova started her comeback two years ago Wozniacki was one of the players who criticised tournaments for granting the Russian wild cards. Max Eisenbud, Sharapova’s agent, subsequently described Wozniacki as a “journeyman”.
After her defeat here Wozniacki was asked about her relationship with Sharapova. “I think our terms are the same as they have always been,” she replied. “I think she doesn't really talk to anybody and just has her team and has her own thing.
“That's that. I do my own thing. I have my friends and that's that. We are just playing. We are on tour. We are competitors. We both try our hardest when we're out there on court and fight our hardest.”
Sharapova was unwilling to turn up the temperature. “I just really like winning,” she said when asked if this win had any special meaning. “I'm just really happy and proud of the way I competed today and I'm into the fourth round. So that's all that matters.”
The Russian’s ball-striking power was crucial, though the outcome of the match could have been different if Wozniacki had built on her 4-1 lead in the opening set. The Dane fought back to win the second set, but Sharapova closed out her victory after breaking serve in the seventh game of the decider.
Sharapova, who hit 37 winners to Wozniacki’s 10, said she had tried to avoid long rallies because the Dane “lives off that type of tennis” but added: “I felt like even in the longer rallies I did a great job of winning those.
“I put a lot of pressure on her. Those are the rallies that I think she used to win many years ago. I thought I did a great job of getting a higher percentage of wins in those.”
Wozniacki said: “I did my best out there. I was fighting till the end. In my head I should have won that first set.”
Sharapova’s next opponent will be Australia’s Ashleigh Barty, who beat Maria Sakkari 7-5, 6-1 in just 82 minutes and has yet to drop a set in this tournament. The match was played with the roof over Rod Laver Arena closed because of morning showers.
Barty has matched her best performance at a Grand Slam tournament, having also reached the fourth round at last year’s US Open.
“You have to keep giving yourself the opportunity to do better and better,” Barty said afterwards. “It's all trusting in the process and the work that my team and myself have done in the pre-season and throughout the last 18 months and two years.
"I’m continuing to chip away and get better as a person and as a player every single day and continue to develop my game. It's getting to the point now where I'm feeling more and more comfortable on the court and can play my brand of tennis. When I execute it I know it works against the best in the world."
Barty is the last Australian standing in the women’s singles after Kimberly Birrell, a wild card, was beaten 6-1, 6-0 by Angelique Kerber in just 58 minutes. Kerber, who was the champion here three years ago, now faces Danielle Collins, who reached the fourth round of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time by beating the No 19 seed, Caroline Garcia, 6-3, 6-2.
