Petra Kvitova will face
Caroline Wozniacki in the second round of the 2023
US Open, with the match taking place on Arthur Ashe.
Eleventh seed Kvitova has had a successful season so far. The Czech player won the
WTA 1000 Miami Open earlier this year, which saw her return to the top 10 in the WTA Ranking for the first time since 2021.
Meanwhile, Wozniacki came back to the sport earlier this month after three and a half years away from the sport, during which time she had two children with NBA star husband David Lee. The 2018 Australian Open champion made it to the second round of the Canadian Open in Montreal before being ousted in the first round of the Cincinnati Open.
The two 33-year-olds have faced each other many times in the past, and this match signals a resumption of their sporting rivalry.
Kvitova leads head-to-head
This will be the 15th match that Kvitova and Wozniacki have played against each other, having met at least once every year between 2009 and 2018.
Kvitova leads their head-to-head 8-6. This includes notable victories in the fourth round of Wimbledon 2009 and the third round of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. However, Wozniacki won the last match they played, which was in the round robin stage of the 2018 WTA Finals.
Kvitova kicked off her 2023 US Open run with a first-round victory against Cristina Bucsa. The Czech player dominated the first set, dropping only one game to take it 6-1. However, after soaring to a 5-2 lead in the second set, Bucsa fought back hard and took it to a tiebreak. Ultimately though it was Kvitova who prevailed, winning the match in straight sets 6-1, 7-6 (5).
Meanwhile, Wozniacki's first Grand Slam match since her comeback was a resounding success. The Dane faced qualifier Tatiana Prozorova and won four games in a row to claim the first set. She then secured a 5-1 lead in the second set before getting broken by her opponent. However, for Prozorova it was too little too late, as Wozniacki immediately broke back to win the match 6-3, 6-2.
These results suggest that the two women are on an almost even footing going into their second-round match. However, Wozniacki committed twice as many unforced errors as Kvitova in her first round, suggesting that she may need to tidy up her game slightly before the clash.
While the match could be a close one, many are predicting that Kvitova will be the player to progress through to the third round of the US Open.