Caroline Woznaicki will face Mona Barthel in what should be a superb second round encounter at the Mutua Madrid OpenYou can watch and bet on Wozniacki v Barthel live for free at bet365 > live streaming > tennisCaroline Wozniacki didn’t make the best start to her Mutua Madrid Open campaign on Sunday, but she won nonetheless, seeing off Ksenia Pervak in a three setter that lasted for over three hours. The Dane had been in real trouble in the third set, but showed plenty of grit and determination to clinch a dramatic 7-6(7), 3-6, 6-4 victory.
“I went down and rolled my ankle in the first set,” explained Wozniacki after the win. “I could feel the pain. I felt restricted out there, but I just fought as hard as I could, which is all I could do today. I don't really know how I was able to win the match. I'm not playing tomorrow, so a day of rest will be nice, then we'll see.”
Wozniacki wasn’t quite sure what to make of the blue clay here in Madrid. “It's definitely more slippery, but then I also completely stopped at one point - you could say it wouldn't happen on red clay, but then you never really know, it could be the same. It's definitely different, but blue is one of my favorite colors, so I do like the look.”
With Wozniacki having injury concerns, she could be in real trouble against Mona Barthel on Tuesday. The young German is quickly making a name for herself as one of the most exciting youngsters on the WTA tour, and 2012 has so far been a breakthrough season for her. She set up the meeting with Wozniacki with an impressive 6-4, 6-1 drubbing of compatriot Julia Goerges.
Wozniacki thrashed Barthel when the pairing last met in Copenhagen last year. Still, the improvements made by Barthel since then have been profound, and this time the contest won’t be taking place in Wozniacki’s native Denmark. The German may even have the upper hand here.
