Qualifier shocks Wozniacki in Eastbourne

Monica Puig

AFP: Monica Puig defeated 2009 WTA Eastbourne champion Caroline Wozniacki 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 on Wednesday as the qualifier booked a quarter-final place at the pre-Wimbledon tune-up event.

Puig, from Puerto Rico and ranked 43rd in the world, battled through a two-and-a-quarter-hour contest against the former number one which was delayed for 90 minutes by rain.

The 22-year-old Puig double-faulted on her first of two match points but completed the job at Devonshire Park in style with an eighth ace.

“Finishing with an ace is the best way to go. I hope I can keep this up. I’m excited for the next round and ready for whatever comes up.

“It was a really tough match, she made me run for every ball.”

Wozniacki, the number 37 who missed the clay season with an ankle injury, was playing on the English south coast for the eighth time and reached the semi-final in her last three appearances.

Puig is hoping to duplicate or perhaps surpass her run from a qualifying start last January in Sydney, where she reached the final against Svetlana Kuznetsova.

Puig is making her debut at the final event prior to Monday’s start at Wimbledon.