Danish fifth seed Caroline Wozniacki became the fourth top-10 woman to exit the US Open after just two rounds on Wednesday when she lost 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-1 to Russia’s Ekaterina Makarova.
After taking the opening set, Makarova kept up her aggressive stance to break Wozniacki’s serve in the second set as well. However, while trying to serve for the match in the ninth game of the set, nerves played havoc and she went on hand the break back to the Dane. Wozniacki went on to consolidate the break and the next couple of games continued to be routine service games.
In the tie-break that followed, it was the former world No 1 who gained the upper hand to take a 5-1 lead only to have Makarova equal at 5-5. Yet another mini-break on Makarova’s serve in the 11th point had Wozniacki clinch the tie-break in the 12th point to level the match.
In the final set, Makarova once regained her momentum and quickly built a 5-0 lead thanks to two service breaks. Wozniacki finally held her serve in the sixth game of the set, but it was small consolation as the Russian wrapped up the match on her serve in the seventh game with ease.
Prior to this match-up Wozniacki, the two-time former finalist, had won all seven of her previous meetings against her left-handed opponent.
Following her upset, Wozniacki joined second seed Simona Halep, sixth-seeded defending champion Angelique Kerber and Britain’s Johanna Konta, the seventh seed, in crashing out of the tournament.
Makarova, a semi-finalist in 2014, will face Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro for a place in the last 16.