NEW YORK -- Fourteen years ago, she ascended to the WTA Tour’s No.1 ranking. Six years ago, she won her last tournament, a big one -- the 2018 Australian Open. And then, on the cusp of 30, Caroline Wozniacki retired. She had two children, Olivia and Jack, and after three-and-a-half years, she returned to tennis.

And while the fans have been thrilled to see her again, it hasn’t always been rainbows and roses. Before the past week, the sequel had produced a record of 17-15. The one constant? Success at the US Open.

US Open: Scores | Draw | Order of play

On Saturday, the 34-year-old Wozniacki defeated French qualifier Jessika Ponchet 6-3, 6-2 to advance to the Round of 16. She’ll play No.22 Beatriz Haddad Maia on Monday. The Brazilian defeated 15th seed Anna Kalinskaya 6-3, 6-1 to advance to her first US Open Round of 16. 

Wozniacki is the 8th player in the Open Era to reach the US Open Round of 16 at 34 years old or older. She's the first to do it since Serena Williams in 2020 and joins a fine cadre of women to accomplish the feat: Chris Evert, Billie Jean King, Martina Navratilova, Nancy Richey, Virginia Wade, Serena Williams and Venus Williams

Of the seven to previously reach the Round of 16, six reached the quarterfinals: Chris Evert, Billie Jean King, Martina Navratilova, Virginia Wade, Serena Williams and Venus Williams

Must See

It was the third time in her comeback that Wozniacki has put together three straight wins -- and two of those flurries have come here in New York. A year ago, she also reached the Round of 16, where she extended eventual champion Coco Gauff to three sets.

“I feel good,” Wozniacki said after her first-round victory over Nao Hibino. “I feel like if I play my best, I can beat anyone. I think probably physically has been the biggest challenge, something that I’m not used to throughout my whole career. Coming back and just putting your body through that extra pressure and extra stuff is definitely not easy.

In terms of tennis, 34 is vastly different from 20. Wozniacki is nursing arm and back issues.

“My arm feels a lot better,” she told reporters. “My back feels pretty good. So we’re moving in a good way. Hopefully I can just get a good practice in tomorrow, get some good rhythm, and kind of move on from there.

“Just something that I have to manage, and I guess when you push your body to the limit, sometimes little things come up.”

The win was Wozniacki’s 129th Grand Slam match win, surpassing Petra Kvitova for the second-most among active players; Victoria Azarenka has 163. This is the 23rd time Wozniacki has reached the fourth round of a major -- and eighth at the US Open. Only Azarenka (30) has more.

This was the first meeting between the two -- a qualifier versus a major champion -- and it went about the way you’d expect.

Ponchet, 27 and ranked No.128, had never won a Grand Slam match until defeating Zheng Saisai 6-4, 6-1 in the first round. And when No.4-seeded Elena Rybakina withdrew, she was into the third round.

Wozniacki scored an immediate break to take a 2-0 lead and was never really challenged the rest of the set.

The second played out similarly. The first game, with Ponchet serving, ran more than 10 minutes and featured six deuces. Wozniacki won when Ponchet’s backhand sailed long, converting her third break point. She broke again in the third game as well.

The two played a 23-stroke point in the final game, the longest of the match, which Wozniacki won with a forehand pass. The Dane played a typically clean match, with 20 winners and eight unforced errors; Ponchet was 19 and 27.

After last year’s US Open, Wozniacki did not play again until this past January in Auckland. This year, Wozniacki said, she isn’t quite sure what the rest of the season will look like.

“I honestly don’t know what my plans are after the Open right now,” Wozniacki said. “My initial thought is I’m probably not going to play after, but I don’t know.

“I don't know what the future brings, but for now, I’m focusing on here and then I’m going to make the next decisions then.”