Then he ran into Roger Federer in the Australian Open final.

And much like the last Grand Slam final when they met back in Flushing Meadows in 2008, the Scot was not match for the Swiss Master, losing in straight sets, 3-6 4-6 6-7 (11-13).

“Tonight’s match was a lot closer than the one at Flushing Meadows,” Murray said. “You know, like I say, I had a chance at the beginning of the match, and I had chances, you know, at the end of the match.

“It’s just the second set that didn’t go my way. Not that any of them went my way. But obviously I felt like I had opportunities in the rest of them.

Yeah, I mean, obviously I’m getting closer. I mean, my results in the Grand Slams would show that. Just got to keep working hard.”

Even with the loss, Murray is still one of the rise stars on the tour. As a top rated Brit, the eyes of the United Kingdom are on him and is followed around like a rock star in his homeland.

All of this doesn’t make life easy for 22 year-old and after the last night’s match, he was in tears.

“I don’t feel great,” he said. “You know, obviously worked really hard, you know, to get to this stage. I wanted to win the tournament. You know, I think it was more the way the end of the match finished. You know, obviously it was pretty emotional end to the match.

“If it was a complete blow‑out, if I lost 3, 4, and 2, you know, it probably wouldn’t have happened. But I had my chance to get back into the match. That was probably why I was upset.”

One day, Murray will win a major, and it could come in the most unlikely of places. He’s not the biggest fan of the clay courts, and of course there’s Wimbledon which would not just make him popular, but the greatest British hero since Winston Churchill.

And maybe that’s what makes it so hard for Murray, since the pressure from back home is so great as the UK years for their own major tennis champ.

“It didn’t feel it on the court,” he said. “You know, you get a lot of good luck messages. You know, everyone wishing you well from back home. You know, that’s obviously nice.

“Once you get on the court, it’s not what you’re thinking about at all. And then obviously after the match, you know, I would have liked to have done it for everyone back home, you know, won the tournament. Obviously for myself and for the people I work with as well.

“But it wasn’t to be.”

Eventually, though, he will make his breakthrough. Although Federer is still in his prime, Murray has time to catch up. And that’s what keeps driving the Scotchman.

“I’m hungry to win one,” Murray said. “I haven’t since I was 16, 17 years old when I started playing the junior Grand Slams. You know, I realized I wanted to win one of them, you know, when I was playing.

“Like I say, I worked really, really hard to try to do it and give myself the opportunity. You know, so far it’s not been good enough.

“But I’m sure one day, it will be. When it comes, maybe because of the two losses, it will be even better.”

Alas though, this time Serena Williams did not melt down and the former No. 1 had to settle for runner up in the Oz Open, after she lost the final. 4-6 6-3, 2-6.

“Of course disappointed, I mean, when you lose in the final of a Grand Slam, especially in three sets, and I got a few opportunities that I haven’t been able to take,” Henin said.“But this feeling of disappointment cannot take advantage on all the things I’ve done in the last few weeks. And it’s just more than what I could expect for. I just have to remember that.

“Even if it’s quite soon after the match now, I’m sure there will be a lot of positive things I can think about in a few days. It’s been almost perfect. Just the last step, I couldn’t make it.”

It really was almost perfect for Henin after she came back from almost a two year absence. Retiring on May 2008, the tour really hasn’t been the same without her. Too many nondescript beautiful Eastern Europeans competing along with the Williams Sisters dominated the tour and not enough of the pizzazz Henin brought to the table.

Maybe that’s why the press went ga-ga for Melanie Oudin at the US Open. The sport needed an everywoman – an average sized powerhouse that tramples the competition.

With Henin, it has it back.

“She can go really far,” said Williams after the final match. “As you saw today, she took me to the umpteenth level. She clearly hasn’t like lost a step at all since she’s been gone.

“So I feel like I played a girl who’s been on the tour for the past five years without a break.”

Henin being back the sport has someone all fans can love. She’s not a model, nor does she act like a superstar. Rather, you have the girl next door, who hasn’t changed since the world first saw her back in 1999.

Now we may see a new Henin, who will pick and choose her matches, much like Clijsters, who could not follow up her Open win. She says she will play in Indian Wells in March and then look forward to Roland Garros in May, so obviously this is just the beginning.

Yet, the tour has their star back, as Henin looks refreshed from her absence from the game and she knows there’s plenty of work to be done if she wants to be No. 1 again.

“I’ll be focused on what I have to improve in the next few weeks, the next few months,” she said. “I’ve only played two tournaments. It’s the end of January. The season is still very long. I want to enjoy every moment I spend on the court and be very smart about the calendar and everything.

“Winning big tournaments, just get better, get better, get better. That’s my motivation, and the rest comes. If I get better, if I improve, if I work hard, the rest will come. So I’m not focused on who’s No. 1 or whatever at the moment or where I can be in a few months.

“I have some goals, of course, but I just don’t want to look too far. Everything went pretty fast, fast enough already in the last four weeks. It’s just time to calm down and think about the future.”

And with that, another successful comeback is in the books and the women’s tour is so much better for it.

This year, though, there’s no doubt the master is on track.

“It’s not something I’ve ever put in my mind that this is something I want to achieve,” Federer said after defeating Andy Murray in straight sets, 6-3 6-4 7-6. “I’ll still go and play the smaller tournaments, you know, the Masters 1000s, the ones we’re supposed to play. I try to give my best everywhere I go to, because I think there are not only the Grand Slams.

“Of course, they are important, but I try to respect every tournament that invites me to go play there. There’s the fans who pay tickets. I want to live up to my expectations, too.”

After a scare in the first round, Federer had a pretty easy time in the Oz Open as he dominated the competition in Melbourne. Although the more exciting matches over the past two weeks were played by others, the Swiss Master just went about his business.

“I always knew I had it in my hand,” he said. “The question is do I have it in my mind and in my legs, you know. That’s something I had to work extremely hard at. Now I feel like obviously I’m being pushed a great deal by the new generation coming up. I always feel sort of tennis changes sort of every five years.

“Because when I came on tour, matches were played very differently. It was more of a bluff game, guys serving well, but there was always a weakness you could go to. Today that doesn’t exist anymore. I think that’s also thanks to guys like Murray. They’ve made me a better player, because I think this has been one of my finest performances, you know, in a long time, or maybe forever.”

Now Federer is on track for that elusive Grand Slam. Even with all the major wins, he never won all four in a year, as the French always gave him problems. But now, after winning in Roland Garros last year, Federer has a real chance to nail down the elusive achievement.

Of course he will play the tournaments as they come, but Federer feels now that he’s in position to dominate everything in 2010.

“It’s not an easy thing to do to win your first Grand Slam,” Federer said. “That’s not mental, you know, trying to screw with his head, you know. It’s just a tough thing, you know.

“The next one is not going to get any easier. But his game is so good that I’m convinced he will win one, you know. And I thought he did really well tonight because conditions were tough. I mean, I think I played a great match. So someone’s got to win, and I’m happy it was me.”

The road ahead won’t be easy. Although Federer has said he’s become a better player, the rest of the field has become tougher as well. Besides the usual suspects, like Nadal, Murray, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Roddick, upstarts like US Open Champion Juan Martin Del Potro have become elite players, who will give Federer fits as he tries to nail down the Slam.

Yet, that’s what keeps the Swiss Master going. With every match he learns something about himself, on his quest for perfection.

“[It’s] a tough generation at the moment,” Federer said. “There’s many guys. You know, I’ve dominated hard court and grass for a long time; Rafa did clay. Rafa also became very strong on the other surfaces and so forth.

“So I think it’s just not an easy thing to do, Grand Slams, and I proved it again tonight.”

One down. Three to go.

“What a great way to introduce these shoes,” said Steve Davis, VP or Product Development at Prince.  “To have the first player ever to lace these up in a Grand Slam go out and move the way he did and pull off that upset is not a bad start.”

In addition to Granollers, there are seven other men and two women in the 2010 Australian Open main draws who have already converted to Lightspeed.  On the men’s side, in addition to Granollers, fans will see Albert Montanes, Santiago Ventura, Rik DeVoest, Julien Rojer, Martin Damm, Filip Polasek and Johan Brunstrom wearing the Rebel LS.  On the women’s side, Kveta Peschke and Yvonne Meusburger will be sporting the new Poise LS.

“We broke away from the mold of conventional tennis shoe design to give players a lightweight, ultra-responsive match-day shoe,” said Jerome Jackson, Global Product Manager for Footwear at Prince. “We are excited to make Lightspeed footwear available to competitive players around the world.”

A key feature in Lightspeed is its Propulsion Plate – a lightweight chassis built to transfer energy fluidly from the heel to the forefoot, resulting in quicker reaction time, better acceleration, and a sense of being ‘on the balls of your feet’.  In addition, each shoe features an ultra-low profile midsole, giving players a much lower platform for better stability as well as Prince’s Shock Eraser Pro heel insert to deliver maximum impact protection.

Lightspeed will be available in two models – the Rebel LS for men and the Poise LS for women.  Both models will hit shelves in the United States on February 15, 2010.  The Rebel LS will be available in three colorways including Yellow/Black/Silver to ‘hook up’ with the popular EXO³ Rebel 95 racquet, Black/White/Green to ‘hook up’ with the EXO³ Graphite racquet, and White/Navy/Silver for a more traditional colorway.  The Poise LS will be available in White/Silver/Neon and features the same technology platform as the men’s Rebel LS but has a distinct upper design built specifically to appeal to female players.

Lightspeed replaces the O-Series as the new flagship model in Prince’s ‘All-Court’ series -one of the three segments in the Company’s footwear line along with ‘Grinder’ and ‘Traditionalist’.  Models in the ‘All-Court’ series are designed for the all-around player interested in lightweight performance footwear that fits like a glove.

The ‘Grinder’ series, which includes the popular T22 model, is defined by durable, tough footwear capable of holding up to the rigors of extreme lateral stops and starts.

‘Traditionalist’ models are built for players seeing classic looking models with an emphasis on comfort and fit.  Prince’s classic Quiktrac & NFS models can be found here.

Players can ‘Meet the New Speed’ online at www.princetennis.com.

Pricing:
Men’s
Rebel LS – SRP: $110.00US
Women’s
Poise LS – SRP: $105.00US

About Prince Sports, Inc.
Prince Sports, Inc, based in New Jersey, is a company of racquet sports enthusiasts whose goal is to create cutting edge, functional and technically advanced products that deliver performance benefits for avid players.  The Company’s portfolio of brands includes Prince (tennis, squash and badminton), Ektelon (racquetball) and Viking (platform/paddle tennis).   The Company has a history of innovation including inventing the first “oversize” and “long body” racquets, the first “Natural Foot Shape” tennis shoe, the first “synthetic gut” string and the first electronic ball machine.  Today, Prince markets leading technologies in racquets (EXO³), string (Premier LT), footwear (Lightspeed Technology) and apparel (Aerotech).   It has operations on three continents with distribution in over 100 countries. For more information on players, products or programs please visit www.princesports.com.

For more information, product samples/images contact: Chrissy Ott; Prince Sports, Inc.; cott@princesports.com; 609.291.5704

Ht: 5-10 Wt: 130

DOB: July 11, 1990 In: Odense, Denmark

Tennis Inspirations: “Yeah, Martina Hingis, one of my role models, growing up I was always looking at her game. And I was trying to play like her.”

First Tennis Memory: “Playing with my mom and dad and brother in a small town. And they didn’t want to play with me [smiles] because I was so bad, so I was standing against the wall just hitting for three, four hours every day. One day I beat them and that was so good.”

Favorite Movies: “Titanic, I have so many, Lord Of The Rings, National Treasure, White Chicks, Wedding Crashers. A lot, I have a lot.”

Last Book Read: “The Girl Who Played With A Fire, the writer is Dee Larsen.”

Favorite TV Shows: “Orange County, Grey’s Anatomy.”

Musical Tastes: “All different kinds, I like Mariah Carey.”

Pre-Match Feeling: “Just relaxed, you know, I like to read a book before. Just to think about anything, just clear my mind.”

Current Car: “No, I don’t have one.”

Favorite Meal: “Tacos [smiles].”

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: “Cookies.”

Greatest Sports Moment: “Winning New Haven and winning my first WTA and winning junior Wimbledon.”

Most Painful Moment: “I’m trying to think…I don’t know.”

Favorite Tournaments: “All the Grand Slams. I really like the US Open and I like Wimbledon a lot. I have good memories playing Wimbledon – winning juniors there – so I like going back. And I like the grass and the atmosphere.”

Closest WTA Friends: “Sorana Cirstea, the Polish ones.”

Funniest Players Encountered: “Vince Spadea. I met him at an exhibition in Liverpool and he was just hilarious.”

Toughest Competitors: “I don’t know if there is one that I fear the most. (Toughest to play?) They can all be tough. I just go out and play my best against all opponents.”

Favorite Players To Watch: “I like watching Federer play.”

Funny Tennis Memory: “I think you have to see this point. Chakvetadze, she hits a shot, she gets an easy overhead. The opponent is standing far behind the baseline and not even going for the shot. She hit the overhead – she mis-hit it. And she goes for the backhand and she hits it in. She won the point anyways.”

Embarrassing Tennis Memory: “That’s a tough one. I don’t know. I lost love and one in doubles in French Open (to Sugiyama/Srebotnik). I didn’t think that was fun.”

Last Vacation: “After Wimbledon I went to Copenhagen for a few days my birthday.”

Favorite Sports Outside Tennis: “I like soccer and basketball.”

Best You Ever Felt On Court: “I think my first final in Stockholm last summer. I felt like every ball was just sitting there and then taking the trophy and winning, that was great.”

Personality Qualities Most Admired: “Honesty, polite, nice, smart.”

Persuant to the rules for the maximum permissible on-site fine for an Unsportsmanlike Conduct, Serena Williams was hit with a $10,000 fine for her on court behavior last night in her straight sets loss to Kim Clijsters in the Women’s Singles Semifinals. Williams was also fined $500 for racquet abuse which took place at the end of the first set.

Williams is $10,500 lighter because she threatened the lineswoman last night after she was called with a foot fault in the last game of the match. Serena proceeded to threaten the official in a profanity laced tirade, saying, “I will shove these [bleeping] balls down your [bleeping] throat.”

After conferring with officials, Clijsters was given the match point die to unsportsmanlike conduct. Williams was warned after the first set for smashing her racquet.

The Grand Slam Rule Book also allows for an investigation to be conducted by the Grand Slam Committee Administrator to determine if the behavior of Serena warrants consideration as a Major Offense for which additional penalties can be imposed.

The investigation has already begun.

Because of the long rain delay, the Semifinal match between Yanina Wickmayer and Caroline Wozniacki was moved to Armstrong Stadium and with what was left of the crowd mainly stayed in Ashe to watch the other match, so there were about 300-400 people watching the contest.

Throughout the match, not a peep could be heard, except Wickmayer’s Flemish grunts as she whacked the ball.

This intimate setting didn’t faze the ninth seeded Wozniacki, who said she actually liked the quiet atmosphere.

“Maybe actually it was easier, because, you know, you didn’t really feel the thing that you’re in the semifinals,” she said. “You didn’t feel the pressure too much that actually you’re so close to being in a finals. Only two matches away.

“So I mean, I understand the people. We were waiting all day to get to play, and the weather really didn’t want everything like we wanted it today. But we got to play, and I’m very happy.”

Seats that would have gone for $10,000 dollars on Ashe were just general admission and many who would never be able to sit in the front row for a Semifinal, could do so with ease.

None of this mattered to 19 year-old Wozniacki, who beat fellow teen Wickmayer, 6-3, 6-3, to earn a date tonight with Clijsters in the finals.

“I’m in a Grand Slam final,” she exclaimed. “I mean, I’m in the US Open final. I cannot describe it with words. I’m so excited. I’m so happy I pulled it through today. I’m really looking forward to it. It’s a dream come true to play the finals of a Grand Slam, and now I’m here. So I mean, I have absolutely nothing to lose.”

Right now, she’s playing with house money. Even though Clijsters is unseeded, she is a former champion. Actually the two know each other and played doubles together when Wozniacki was just 16 back in 2006.

Clijsters knew she was going to be a star.

“Just by the way she was hitting the ball, by the way that she was doing everything, you could just tell that she was going to be, you know, a rising star,” Clijsters said. “You know, she’s shown that in her results. She’s very consistent. You know, she’s a super nice girl, as well. I’ve been able to get to know her a little bit better. I knew her a little bit from the past, but then got to know her a little bit better over these past couple of weeks. She’s a very sweet girl.”

Wozniacki beat Wickmayer using the same strategy that she used against Melanie Oudin. She played a defensive game and let her less experienced opponent make mistakes. Although Wickmayer had a stronger serve, the Danish princess was able to play to her Belgian opponent mistakes.

“I think two night matches has really helped me,” Wozniacki said.”I mean, it’s the world’s biggest stadium we’re going into, and it’s different. But now I’ve tried it twice this year and I won two times. I won it one time against Melanie where the whole crowd was behind her. So I think I got some experience there, and hopefully that can help me tomorrow.”

The match started a little after 9 p.m. but was delayed because the court was still wet. Afterwards, Wozniacki was able to get the first break with the score 2-2 and then rolled to the first set.

Then in the second, Wickmayer was able to get up a break 3-2, but Wozniacki bowled over her opponent from there.

“She made not any mistakes,” said Wickmayer, who committed 40 unforced errors to 14 for Wozniacki. “She just kept bringing the ball back and back. … She was really fast.”

As was the completion of the match. With the crowd waiting to get in after Williams imploded over at Ashe, Wozniacki was able to serve for the win and then broke into tears, as her dream was finally realized.

Del Potro advanced to his first ever U.S. Open semifinal improving on last year’s quarter result. Now, he’ll await the winner between Rafael Nadal and Fernando Gonzalez in tonight’s final quarter.

“It’s so beautiful playing in front of this crowd,” an excited Del Potro said acknowledging the fun atmosphere. “I’m so happy it happened this way.”

In the early going, Cilic dealt better with windy conditions looking intent on pulling another upset. Fresh off his straight set destruction of Andy Murray, he didn’t look out of place. Carrying momentum from that big win, the lanky 20 year-old who will move up in the rankings used the same powerful serve and huge forehand to give the favorite fits.

If one of the game’s best returners couldn’t get a read on it, Del Potro certainly struggled with Cilic’s serve making for a tough opening set that saw the underdog hitting out taking it to one of the tour’s best hardcourt players. In the fifth game, he ran into trouble when after fighting off two break points, the Argentine couldn’t save a third thanks in large part to some great hustle from his opponent who made a running forehand pass to earn a 3-2 lead.

Continuing to get in a high percentage of first serves, Cilic backed it up with big forehands outplaying Del Potro. Though he put up a fight in the 10th game saving one set point due to a nice lob, the Argentine couldn’t get back on serve with a forced miss allowing a pumped up Croat to close the set.

It continued to look dicey early in the second set when following a quick hold, Cilic broke for 2-0. But Del Potro stayed in it by climbing out of a Love-30 hole in the fifth game. Upping the tempo, he took the next four points holding for 2-3.

Apparently, he was just getting warmed up. Indeed, Del Potro’s memory bank was still fresh with ESPN analyst Darren Cahill noting that in their only head-to-head meeting in a fourth round Australian Open match this year, he rallied from a similar deficit winning in four sets.

More focused, Del Potro started to turn the tables hitting with more pace including a big forehand that supplied several of his 27 winners. Two less than his opponent whose signature shot suddenly went off spraying three wild forehands in the sixth game to square the set at three apiece.

With renewed confidence, Del Potro broke again en route to running off the final five games. But before he leveled the match, Cilic made things interesting saving two set points with big backhands, eventually earning a chance of his own to get back on serve. Facing the pressure, Del Potro calmly served an ace up the tee, then took the next pair of points with a service winner drawing him even at a set apiece.

Could Cilic respond? The definitive answer was no as he was broken a third consecutive time in the opening game of the third set. Following an easy hold, Del Potro had taken seven consecutive games before a Cilic love hold finally ended it.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t keep it going dropping serve again two games later falling behind 1-4 due to Del Potro taking the last four points including a Cilic netted forehand.

Following a Cilic hold, the rejuvenant Del Potro easily served the set out at love clinching it on a Cilic backhand into the net. By that point, the difference was apparent with the more polished player dealing with over 20 mph winds better by keeping balls in while his opponent cracked committing 37 unforced errors to Del Potro’s 20.

“I was thinking, every point, do the same, try to put the ball in the court,” Del Potro pointed out after improving to 16-1 since a second round Wimbledon exit to Lleyton Hewitt with the only other defeat coming to the departed Murray who got him at Montreal.

“When you fight that way to the final point, you have many chances and that’s what happened today.”

Though five days separate their birthdays later this month, it’s the older Del Potro who showed his mettle, with his consistency proving too much for Cilic to overcome with the Croat finishing with 29 more miscues (53-24).

“He was not missing,” explained Cilic while also noting the difference in conditions as well as why he was more successful the other day.

“Andy [Murray], he doesn’t have as much power as Del Potro has,” Cilic said. “And it was a little bit hotter that day and the ball was going through the court more and jumping much more.”

With a first Open semi in sight, Del Potro used some great defense to save game point, eventually converting another break for 1-0 in set four. It only worsened for Cilic who was broken a sixth time thanks to more brilliant shotmaking from Del Potro, who this time came up with a perfect running backhand topspin lob delighting the crowd and himself.

Suspense all but ended when he broke for 5-0 making it 16 of the last 18 games before Cilic earned one last break so he wouldn’t get bageled. The only problem was it was his first since early in the second when he was still in control. Now, it had come way too late.

Having solved Cilic’s serve by stepping in on seconds, Del Potro fittingly closed it by making it a perfect eight for eight on break opportunities with a wide Cilic forehand insuring his place into the final four. He took 17 of the last 20 games.

Can he take it one step further and make his first ever slam final?

“I cannot start the match like today,” Del Potro accurately stated. “I was thinking about other things, and the weather was bad. But it was bad for both players. I just need to be in focus in the beginning of the match until the last point and play my game.”

We won’t know till Super Saturday.

Yet, like her American counterpart, this Belgian has surprised everyone at Flushing Meadows and now is on the verge of the Finals.

“It has surprised me in one way,” she said. I have been feeling really well the last few weeks. I’ve been playing a couple of great matches, and I’m really playing under a lot of confidence.

“So coming here I was feeling pretty good, and physically and mentally I was feeling really strong. So the first couple of matches, yeah, of course you’re always a little bit surprised of winning great matches in a Grand Slam.

“For sure if it’s the first great Grand Slam you’ve played, because before this my best result was second round. So of course when you get to the third, fourth round, you start surprising yourself. But actually, I’ve been staying pretty calm. I’ve worked really hard for this.”

She defeated Kateryna Bondarenko today, 7-5, 6-2, to earn a date with Caroline Wozniacki. The 19 year-old is very confident, mainly because the bad bounces are now going her way.

“The last couple of weeks I lost some tight matches to the top players,” she said. I lost 6-4 in the third, 7-6 in the third. So it was always like those few key points that I lost.

“I guess now those key points I just feel more concentrated physically and mentally. I feel stronger on the court. I’m sure that those two points has helped me a lot this few weeks.”

It’s been a long road for Wickmayer, who moved to the United States to learn at the Saddlebrook Academy back in 1999. Her mother Daniella passed away from cancer and she convinced her grieving father Marc to move away from Belgium and her family.

“I lost her in ’99, and I just started playing tennis a few weeks or a few months before that just to get my mind off things,” she said. “I guess I just decided as a little girl to get away from home and put my memories and thoughts to something else, so we moved to Florida just to, yeah, my dad and me, just to get things off, just to, yeah, focus ourself on other things in life and try to move on.”

And move on she has. Although she will never forget her mother, the bond she developed with her father is unbreakable. Wickmayer now is realizing her dream. Never past the second round before – she made it past the first at Roland Garros this year – the young rising star is now on the verge of the spotlight.

How she will shine is anyone’s guess, but Wickmayer is ready for Wozniacki, a person she played back in juniors.

“I’ve not really watched her play a lot, so I’m going to watch a little bit on TV today,” she said. “But like I said before, every match I play, I just go on the court and play my own game.

“Sometimes I’ll adjust a little bit during my match, but not really a lot. I just go out there, have fun, and do everything I can.”

The attractive 19 year-old from Denmark, has slowly been improving and now has reached her first Semifinals at a Grand Slam. She is just soaking in every minute as she emerges into the tennis spotlight.

“It’s an amazing feeling, especially when you’re playing at night,” she said. “Playing on Arthur Ashe Stadium, 23,000 people watching you going on the court, I mean, you cannot really describe the atmosphere. It’s just magical. It’s amazing.”

What was amazing was how this cool Scandinavian came in with a game plan against the sentimental favorite Oudin. Instead of playing her game, she stayed back and let the 17 year-old’s inexperience come out. The result was a 6-2, 6-2 win and a trip to meet Yanina Wickmayer in the Semifinals.

“Yeah, today definitely I was like, I have to get as many balls back as possible and try to make her run,” she said. “Keep her on her backhand, but also, you know, make her run on her forehand. That was my goal, and I think it was a good way to play the match today.”

Even with Oudin on the court, it’s are to root against this attractive 19 year-old because of her sunny disposition. Her million dollar smile lights up the room as she graciously speaks about her opponents.

And that includes her Semifinal partner Wickmayer. Both player each other in juniors and Wozniaski says they are friends. Although she won’t let anything else out of the bag.

“I’ve tried not to watch too much tennis while I was here,” she said. “I mean, I watched Melanie’s matches because they were shown a lot. She’s a young player coming up, so I wanted to see her play. But I haven’t seen Yanina playing too much this tournament, but I know her really well from the juniors and we’ve played each other growing up.

“So, I mean right now I’m just so happy I’m in the Semifinals. I’m just going to enjoy a day off tomorrow, and I’ll talk to my dad who is also my coach about the strategy. But right now, I don’t really have any.”

One thing she will be doing is trying to stay positive and not let anything get to her. Against Oudin, Wozniacki just tried to stay positive through the whole match, which allowed her the easy victory.

“Today especially today it was important for me just to keep positive, try to just fight for every point,” she said. Because I knew if I show her too much emotions she will pick it up straightaway. I’ve seen that before in her matches. I mean, the crowd helped her through, as well. So today was just important, just to keep positive, keep fighting for every point.”

Off the court, Wozniacki just tries to keep it cool. Right now she doesn’t have a boyfriend, yet has a sense of humor about it. Earlier today Wickmayer joked to the Belgian press that there were 2000 boyfriends out there for her.

Not so in Denmark apparently.

“I haven’t read the newspapers in Denmark, but I’m sure they can find a boyfriend for me,” she said. “I don’t have any real boyfriends right now, and usually I keep to one.”

Don’t worry though with her style, looks and personality, Sweet Caroline should have no problem finding the right man.