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31 December 2018 Monica Puig vs Caroline Wozniacki

Page history last edited by Vassago 3 years, 7 months ago

TENNIS BOXING from WUHAN

Posted by Vassago on December 31, 2018, 11:35 pm

Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open
Monica Puig (WTA #51) vs Caroline Wozniacki (WTA #2)
(Puerto Rico vs Denmark)
(25yo, 5'7", 140 lbs vs 28yo, 5'10", 139 lbs)

BEFORE: A grindfest in the making here in the Land of the Dragon as current Olympic champion Monica Puig battles former world #1 and reigning Australian Open champion Caroline Wozniacki in a clash of two defensive-minded players. This doesn't exclude a highlight KO finish though as Wozniacki owns the superior reach and vows to bully the pesky if a little unfortunate Puerto Rican tonight. Strange how much confidence breaking that Grand Slam curse could give you! Meanwhile Puig has been dismissed as second-rate player for years now who struggles to compete at the highest level due to her unfavorable physical tools. She still can outlast just about anyone on tour but Wozniacki is the ultimate benchmark when it comes to WTA endurance even at age 28.

Monica Puig wears a navy blue one-piece swimsuit with white trim and red gloves. Long dark brown hair tied in a braid. Caroline Wozniacki wears a navy blue one-piece swimsuit with red trim and silver gloves. Long blonde hair tied in a braid. The fight is scheduled for ten rounds in the welterweight division.

Rounds 1 & 2:
Slow start from the blonde who tries to lure the hot-blooded Latin rival into some action first but whereas Puig flashes some speed and nifty footwork, she simply can't work around Wozniacki's stubborn guard which leads into a lenghty single punching struggle in the center of the ring. Wozniacki loops several shots on the response but sticks to a jabbing recon that inspires little trouble for the fast moving brunette. There are no extra points for distance covered and while Monica gets a little flamboyant while dancing around the blonde with her hands down by her hips, Caroline keeps her focus on tracking her down with more single punches until the final minute when she finally bursts a couple of good hooks and tags Puig on the chin. It's not enough to slow the younger girl down though and that Latin temper breaks through late when Wozniacki's midsection gets picked off repeatedly.

Rounds 3 & 4:
More pressure coming from Puig who launches a steady midsection assault to slow the Danish opponent down as Wozniacki also picks up some pace and scythes the brunette's guard with accurate cross hooks. She easily beats the smaller girl for execution and snaps her head back which eventually forces Monica into hectic retreat as Wozniacki flies in over the top to split the mitts. Monica tries to respond while closing the blonde down but she gets bumped onto her heels a couple of times when Caroline's reach enables her to stick more promising leather up the middle. Puig reverts into targeting the midriff alas she eats a cruel hook on the brow ridge late in the fourth which sends her spinning back to the ropes and Wozniacki finally unleashes some primal aggression as she hoofs the earmuff aside and rattles the Puerto Rican back & forth leaving the Olympic champion swollen around the left eye. Ugh! Monica seems very upset over that fact and gives the blonde a lenghty stare but it's notoriously difficult to beat Caroline fighting from the back foot most of the way.

Round 5:
Monica needs to find that angry touch here and she blasts out of her stool to connect with the blonde's chest before clipping her jaw which sets up immediate response from the former world #1. Caroline WHACKS the otherwise committed brunette over the top and wobbles her to the side when she bounces off her nose; a quick follow up pierces Monica's solar plexus and drops her into spasms while a belting hook from the left SENDS HER CRASHING DOWN moments later and it's a disaster for the Olympic champ as she gets floored with a routine shot just above the liver. Huh! A couple of inches lower and she'd be dead meat but she gets up at seven and while the entire Wuhan crowd expects a hectic retreat following this sucker - Wozniacki probably included - the pesky Latina races at the blonde and drags her into a furious jabbing struggle that Caroline needs to cover with a wayward attack that only fuels more chaos. Huh! Monica refuses to roll the red carpet here and smacks the Dane's lips a couple of times before the clock expires and it's a strange sight here inside the ring as Puig makes some obscene gestures while the hitherto dominant Wozniacki doesn't bother to impose her presence with additional taunting.

Round 6:
Caroline tries some up-tempo swings but Monica suddenly gets clever and ducks underneath them while finding more success to the body which stymies the blonde's attack. The Dane had this one under control but loses her mojo when the Puerto Rican digs deep into her breadbasket and almost head-butts her in the chin as the two vixens find themselves in phone booth struggle that Puig comes out on top thru another belting hook on the liver area. Wozniacki drops back with a whimper alas Monica jumps at her and NAILS her on the jaw with a big hook! Huh! Caroline wobbles on her heels and has to apply major defence but the Latin hot temper prevails as Puig rattles her from both flanks and keeps punishing the blonde's midsection. She goes all the way until she traps Wozniacki on the ropes and the Dane has to clinch her. This doesn't stop the pesky spitfire from digging extra blows to the ribcage and Wozniacki can't stay off the ropes as she gets WHACKED with another cruel hook on the boobs right at the end.

Round 7:
Monica comes flying out of her corner and forces Caroline into a hectic jabbing drill but more cruel punches land on the blonde's ribcage while she suddenly begins to misfire over the top. She gurgles in her efforts to smack Puig with a flying hook but has to yield real estate as Monica hammers in a nasty combo to almost tank-slap the Grand Slam champion into a real disaster. Caroline still flicks a quick hook on the lips but eats a drilling response on the boobs and gets trapped on the ropes again with Monica belting her from both sides to take over full command of the action come the second minute. She almost head-butts the aching Dane again but rips too many vicious shots for Wozniacki not to feel it and a busting hook on the solar plexus finally FORCES CAROLINE TO TAKE A KNEE!!! How about that! Monica leaps around in the center of the ring and rides her momentum once the blonde beats the count at seven. Wozniacki's not really a speed demon compared to the Puerto Rican here and she gets thumped with a wild cross on the jaw as Puig's relentless pounding keeps her trapped for remainder of the round. It's a huge turnaround for the brunette underdog as she performs more fistpumps to fuel the Chinese crowd's support.

Round 8:
Wozniacki suddenly looks tired out there and her blitzing effort goes horribly wrong when she eats a left cross on the boobs while missing Puig's head by a proverbial mile. The Latin spitfire quickly resumes the body assault to glue the Dane onto her heels and it's simply too much hot-blooded juice ripping the blonde's midriff from both flanks. Ugh! She wobbles forward with a loud shriek but instead of clinching the smaller foe, she eats a crushing uppercut on the jaw THAT SENDS HER BUTT-FIRST ON THE BOARDS!!! Huge roar from the Wuhan crowd here as Wozniacki stares at her opponent's shins in disbelief before dropping to her back and hiding her face behind the gloves. Oh, c'mon! She tries to get up but the count is merciless and it's too late to make it happen! Might as well spit the gumshield away... and she does! KO8 Monica Puig in Upset of the Month fashion!!!

AFTER: This is probably Monica's biggest win since that Olympic Games final and she did look all lost at sea here at half-distance. Yet she didn't buckle following that knockdown in the fifth and wrapped the former WTA #1 into a body assault the Dane simply couldn't embrace. Wozniacki has struggled with form ever since the early summer and her once invincible aura is basically gone. Still, she was supposed to blow someone like Puig away and she didn't. Plus she displayed a great deal of vulnerability tonight which suggests maybe, just maybe, she's past her peak these days. BLONDE! Magazine would love to see her matched against some of these WWE divas or SI models outright and given how Bo Krsmanovic knocked her out last year, we actually could find some takers who want to dispatch one of the most popular pro athletes around the globe of the last decade.

Official result: Monica Puig def. Caroline Wozniacki KO8.