Caroline Wozniacki Finally A “Slam Champion” And WTA Number One In The World Again

By: Thomas Cluck

The stakes were at their highest, the drama at its fullest, and Caroline Wozniacki at her most gritty and resilient, now a Grand Slam Champion.

In a match that saw two women put every last ounce of heart they had into exercising their demons and finally pushing past that seemingly unbreakable hurdle, Wozniacki dug deepest to finally claim a major crown with a 7-6, 3-6, 6-4 victory over Simona Halep to win the Australian Open.

The Dane, who ascended to the top of tennis at number one for 67 weeks in 2010 and 2011 without winning a major, will undoubtedly be the true best in the world, owning a Grand Slam trophy to complete her historic rise back to the world number one ranking.

Wozniacki rises back up to the top spot exactly six years to the day she was last the best in the world, completing the largest gap in WTA history between tenures at number one.

For the 27-year-old Wozniacki, it was a final that saw her and Halep lay it all on the line, in a winner-take-all showdown with a first Grand Slam trophy for each and the top ranking up for grabs.

The match did not disappoint as the Melbourne crowd was treated to an epic, with momentum swings aplenty as the Dane enjoyed the last laugh from 3-4 and a break down in the final set to steal all the glory as Australian Open champion.

It’s been a storybook ride to this moment for Wozniacki. The 27-year-old, who will become the first Dane ever to hoist a Grand Slam trophy, has had to show a lot of guts throughout this fortnight.

From 1-5, 15-40 down in the second round to unheralded Jana Fett, Wozniacki showed the fight that took her to number one six years ago, mustering up all she had to live to battle another day. The second-seed would have to dig in all over again in the title match against Halep, displaying the resilience of a major champion.

For Wozniacki, there was no question in her career whether she had the guts to finally hoist that Grand Slam crown, but this time she brought the glory as well.

Follow Thomas on Twitter @thomas_cluck917.