Caroline Wozniacki shock off the label of the greatest woman tennis player of all time to never win a major title by dramatically winning the Australian Open women’s final with a 7-6(2), 3-6, 6-4 win over Simona Halep.
Despite being ranked No. 1 in the world for 67 weeks, winning 27 previous singles titles in her career and playing 43 major tournaments, Wozniacki had not been able to break through and win her elusive major title. She lost in the final of the 2009 and 2014 US Opens and also painfully lost a Australian Open semifinal in 2011 to Li Na, despite holding match point. She was also a big favorite in a U.S. Open semifinal as the No. 1 seed in 2010 against Vera Zvonareva, only to lose.
To win her elusive major title, Wozniacki had to battle the top seed Halep, herself hungry for her first major championship, making for an amazing subplot in the final. To boot, both Halep and Wozniacki had both saved match points in previous matches en route to the final. Wozniacki was down 5-1 in the final set and saved two match points in her second-round, 3-6, 6-2, 7-5 win over Croatia’s Jana Fett. Halep saved match points in two matches en route to the final, three in her 15-13 in the third set win over American Lauren Davis in the third round and four in her 9-7 in the third set win over Angelique Kerber in the semifinals. Halep would have been the first player to ever save match points in two matches in win a major title. She badly turned her ankle in her opening round match against Australia’s Destanee Aiava, which she also had to overcome during her run to her third major final. Halep had previously lost the 2014 and 2017 French Open finals.
The win returns Wozniacki to the No. 1 ranking, replacing Halep. She last ranked No. 1 in 2012, a span of six years which is the biggest hiatus between ranking No. 1 in the history of tennis..
She is also the first player from Denmark to win a major singles title.
