After giving Coco Gauff a lot of trouble in Indian Wells, Clara Burel failed to do the same thing against Caroline Wozniacki, losing in two sets at the 2024 Miami Open.
Burel's performance last week was fascinating, as she nearly ousted Coco Gauff in Indian Wells. It was a wonderful attacking display from a player who has been looking really good so far this year, but that wasn't the case at the WTA 1000 tournament in Miami.
Wozniacki is one of those players who really knows how to counter an attacking style of play. She demonstrated this quite well by frustrating Burel with her amazing defensive skills and angles, which can be pretty unexpected.
The Danish player has been pretty solid recently, as her Indian Wells run has proven. The retirement last week didn't prove a factor in this match, as she was able to conclude the match in two simple sets.
The opening set was 6-1 for Wozniacki, who was too good. Burel struggled with her serve a lot, which is something we saw against Gauff as well. She missed too much, winning only two points behind her opening serve.
Wozniacki, on the other hand, was very impressive and steady, which is what mattered most. She could carry that composure into the second set, in which Burel played better but still not good enough to really challenge her opponent.
Eventually, the Dane once again got the break she needed and raised her level after that. Burel did create chances this time around but couldn't quite convert. She once again struggled on her own serve, particularly the second, which proved her undoing.
This was just a very experienced win from Wozniacki against a young player who really wasn't aware of what was in store for her. The final score was 6-1, 6-4 as the veteran moves on to the second round.