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Troubling loss for Caroline Wozniacki prior to Australian Open

By Harry Floyd

AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - JANUARY 02: Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark serves during her first round match against Laura Siegemund of Germany at the ASB Classic on January 02, 2019 in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - JANUARY 02: Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark serves during her first round match against Laura Siegemund of Germany at the ASB Classic on January 02, 2019 in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images) /
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Entering the 2019 Australian Open, defending champion Caroline Wozniacki is among the favorites in women’s singles tennis.

Should we be worried about Caroline Wozniacki heading into the 2019 Australian Open? Prior to her performance at the ASB Classic, the Danish tennis star was thought to be the frontrunner to take the title in women’s singles at the Grand Slam. She is the defending champion, defeating Romanian great Simona Halep in the finals last year.

In Auckland, Wozniacki kicked off her 2019 WTA Tour with a match win over Germany’s Laura Siegemund. The top seed took their meeting in straight sets, cruising to a 6-3 6-2 victory.

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Advancing into the round of 16, the top seeded Wozniacki was thought to be a heavy favorite against teenage tennis player Bianca Andreescu. The 18-year-old Andreescu would, however, earn what may be the biggest win of her career. She defeats the Danish tennis great in straight sets, taking down Wozniacki 6-4 6-4.

Wozniacki must rebound after Auckland loss.

Andreescu would ultimately reach the finals, knocking out American tennis legend Venus Williams and third seeded Hsieh Su-wei before falling to champion Julia Goerges.

The loss by Wozniacki reveals a weakness in her game heading into the upcoming Australian Open. Previously, she was OUR PICK to take the title in women’s singles at the first Grand Slam of the calendar year. Now, it is more of a toss-up. Halep will remain in the mix of top contenders but so will German tennis great Angelique Kerber.

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The German veteran is former champion at the Australian Open, winning the women’s singles title in 2016. She is also coming off of a runner-up finish at this year’s Hopman Cup. Kerber saw a resurgence on the 2018 WTA Tour and her play at the Sydney International will be telling. Caroline Wozniacki must prove that she can bounce right back from the Auckland loss if she is to be the favorite at Melbourne Park. HERE, the Danish tennis star shares a photo on the courts with fans. She remains in high spirits and ready for action at the Australian Open.

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