US Open 2015: Serena Williams is sitting pretty after Caroline Wozniacki exit

Serena Williams’ chances of completing a calendar-year Grand Slam by winning the US Open took another turn for the better last night with the defeat of Caroline Wozniacki, last year’s runner-up.

The Dane’s departure leaves Williams, Simona Halep and Petra Kvitova as the only top-10 players left in the competition.

Wozniacki, the world No5, had four match points but was beaten 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 by Petra Cetkovska in a late-night thriller that had Andy Murray expressing his admiration for the two players. The Scot, having completed his victory over Adrian Mannarino earlier in the evening, tweeted: “What a match!”

Cetkovska, a former top-30 player, is currently ranked No149 in the world, having come back from a seven-month injury lay-off earlier this year following a hip injury. The 30-year-old Slovakian struck the ball sweetly and regularly outrallied Wozniacki, who was beaten by Williams in last year’s final.

Wozniacki lost eight out of nine games in the early stages but came from behind to win the second set and take the match into a decider.

At 4-5 in the final set Cetkovska saved a match point with a beautifully constructed point.

Two games later she double-faulted at 15-30 but saved the second and third match points with forehand winners. Having saved the fourth with a bold volley, she took the match into a deciding tiebreak, which she won 7-1.