3 Years and 2 Children Later, Wozniacki Pulls Off an Upset

Just two rounds into the US Open, Caroline Wozniacki dispelled any doubts about whether the former World No. 1 could return to top form after a three-year absence from the tour that included the births of her two children. She did that by defeating 11th-seeded Petra Kvitová on Wednesday night in straight sets, 7-5 7-6. That puts the 33-year-old, who went more than two years without hitting a tennis ball, through to the third round in her first Grand Slam appearance since the 2020 Australian Open, Yahoo Sports reports. She'll play Jennifer Brady.

There were tears when the match at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York ended. "Three years ago, if you'd asked me, I didn't think I was ever going to play on one of those courts again in the US Open," Wozniacki told ESPN. She explained her reasons for returning in June to Vogue, saying she began hitting the ball last October after her son was born. Her father watched and told her she appeared to be enjoying playing more. "That was exactly how I felt—I was relaxed and having fun, and somehow that let me see everything more clearly," Wozniacki said. (More US Open Tennis stories.)