University of Georgia Athletics
Gullickson Falls To Top Seed In 2010 US Open Debut
September 01, 2010 | Women's Tennis
Sept. 1, 2010
ATHENS-----University of Georgia junior Chelsey Gullickson's Grand Slam debut at the 2010 US Open in New York came at 11:52 p.m. Tuesday and ended at 12:53 a.m. Wednesday.
Due to long matches earlier, Gullickson's first round match against No. 1 seed Caroline Wozniacki on the Arthur Ashe Stadium court, got off to a late start. Facing the second-ranked player in the world, Gullickson won the first two points of the match with solid service returns. On the third point, which lasted 22 strokes, Gullickson's forehand found the net. Still, she crushed a forehand winner to manage a break point against the Open finalist of a year ago. However, Wozniacki ended up holding serve and used steady play from the baseline to cruise to a 6-1,6-1 victory.
Down 3-0 in the first set, Gullickson fell behind 15-40 and eventually fought off five break points to hold serve for her first game, which brought cheers from the stadium crowd. Wozniacki would cruise the rest of the way, dropping just one more game in the contest. She improved to 14-1 since Wimbledon, employing the same successful strategy of avoiding high-risk shots and simply letting her opponent make mistakes. In fact, Gullickson had 11 winners while Wozniacki had only six, but Wozniacki had just seven unforced errors on the night while Gullickson had 30.
"After the match, I didn't talk to Chelsey very long, she just said it was a great experience to play on center court, and she wished she would've done better," said Georgia assistant coach Frank Polito who attended the match. "Wozniacki played good defense with Chelsey's power and did not make a lot of errors. She made Chelsey hit that one extra ball in the rallies and that was the difference. Overall, I thought Chelsey moved pretty well."
Gullickson, the 2010 NCAA singles champion who turned 20 this past Sunday, will now focus on US Open doubles with her older sister Carly (the 2009 US Open mixed doubles champion). They will be in action Friday against Italians Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci in the first round. Gullickson could face Wozniacki again if both make it to the third round of the doubles draw.
"This is a huge learning experience for Chelsey, and I think you have to be in that big stage a few times to be able to perform at your best," said Georgia head coach Jeff Wallace. "This is a great opportunity for her to play in the singles and doubles in her first Grand Slam event, and I know it was a thrill for her to play on the Arthur Ashe Stadium court against the top seed."
Gullickson, a native of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., earned wild card invitations to the Open this year. She is competing as an amateur and plans to return to Georgia in January. She became the first Bulldog amateur to play in the main draw of an Open. She was the first Bulldog to compete in an Open since Angela Lettiere in 1997. Like Gullickson, Lettiere's first appearances at the Open came after winning an NCAA singles title, claiming the 1994 crown also in Athens.
