Wozniacki on the Rebound in Qatar | IXGAMES
It’s been three years since Caroline Wozniacki was the No. 1 women’s tennis player in the world. But after switching her coaches and her brand of racket, the Danish superstar is making the long climb back to the top. As we go to press, Wozniacki is ranked No. 5 on the WTA Tour, and she’s the 7/2 co-favorite to win this week’s Qatar Open in Doha. The other co-favorite in Qatar is World’s No. 4 Petra Kvitova, the two-time Wimbledon champion from 2011 and 2014. Kvitova is seeded first and Wozniacki third; World’s No. 3 Simona Halep was going to be the second seed after her win in Dubai, where she beat Wozniacki (+120) in the semifinals, but Halep withdrew because of fitness concerns – reportedly rib and ankle issues. Wozniacki and Kvitova were both given first-round byes, as were Agnieszka Radwanska (8/1) and Ekaterina Makarova (12/1), thus putting them one step closer to the title. Third favorite Victoria Azarenka (5/1) didn’t get the same star treatment; the two-time Australian Open champion had to beat Angelique Kerber (+230) to reach the second round. We’ll see if that extra work helps or harms Azarenka this week.