COPENHAGEN: World number one and local favourite Caroline Wozniacki thrilled a rowdy crowd to win the Danish Open on Sunday for the second consecutive year.
Opting to stay at home and play on hardcourts rather than get the grass under her feet ready for Wimbledon, she easily beat fourth seed Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic 6-1 6-4.
Fourth seed Safarova, the world number 38, had been a slow starter all week, coming back from a set down in each of her matches en route to the final, and the left-hander was immediately broken by Wozniacki in her first service game.
Despite some hefty groundstrokes Safarova proved far too erratic to worry the ever-solid Wozniacki as the first set whizzed by.
Wozniacki broke ominously at the start of the second set but a couple of tight line calls by the umpire against her and a double-fault allowed Safarova to break back.
With the Danish crowd clapping her on at every important point, Wozniacki immediately broke again to lead 3-2 and regain the upper hand, with her trademark two-handed backhand proving a potent weapon.
Wozniacki held her nerve as the remaining games went with serve, eventually sealing her fifth title of the year when Safarova made two more unforced errors.
The 20-year-old, who did not drop a set all week, will now head to Wimbledon for some much-needed practise on grass, hoping to improve on last year’s showing whe she was beaten 6-2 6-0 in the fourth round by Petra Kvitova. (Reuters)
