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Caroline Wozniacki's first-round loss at the 2024 San Diego Open has elicited criticism from tennis fans online.
Following her Australian Open campaign, Wozniacki earned a wildcard to the San Diego-based WTA 500 event. The Dane got off to a strong start against Anna Blinkova in her opener on Tuesday, February 27. She wrapped up the first set in just seven games and led 2-0 in the following set.
Blinkova then staged a massive comeback, courtesy some aggressive baseline play. She broke the Dane three times in the second set and maintained the momentum in the decider to eventually win the match 1-6, 6-4, 6-1.
This marked Caroline Wozniacki's third defeat of the season in just four matches. Fans on social media were quick to criticize the Dane for her poor run since making her comeback to the tour last year. One fan recalled Wozniacki claiming that none of the current top 10 would be able to beat peak Serena Williams.
"Same woman that said that this WTA era was weak," the fan wrote on X (f0rmerly Twitter).
Another fan said that wildcards should rather be given to players like Naomi Osaka and Angelique Kerber who, according to them, can offer something exciting for the fans.
"Keep those wildcards for players like Osaka, Kerber etc who have something to offer to the fans and the sport. Wozniacki was boring before her retirement and still is," the fan's tweet read.
A third user claimed that Wozniacki's defeat resulted from her failure to devise alternative plans when things went wrong.
"Wozniacki deserves to lose every match in this comeback since she refuses to problem solve and mix things up and play with some variety. I don’t understand how a former #1 doesn’t have a plan B and C and D. How do you lose a match not trying anything different???," the tweet read.
Here are a few more reactions from tennis fans:
"Caroline Wozniacki started really well, she was outplaying me" - Anna Blinkova
Anna Blinkova admitted later that Caroline Wozniacki had complete control at the start of the match. During her on-court interview, the Russian said she was "outplayed" by the former World No. 1 in the first set.
"It was a crazy match. She started really well. She was outplaying me, she was much better than me in the first set," Blinkova stated.
Blinkova added that she remained optimistic despite Wozniacki's initial onslaught, as she gradually began to find control over her game.
"It's never too late to come back. I was thinking positively and fighting for every point. I was telling myself, you put all the balls in the court as much as you can, and I started to find my shots. I started to find the control," she added.
Anna Blinkova will face fifth-seed Dayana Yastremska in the second round on Friday, March 1. This will be their second meeting on the tour, with Yastremska winning their previous encounter at the 2023 WTA 125K Catalonia.
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