All eyes were on two former Laurel Springs students on Tuesday night at the U.S. Open as top-seeded Caroline Wozniacki and Chelsey Gullickson battled into the early morning hours on famed Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing Meadows, N.Y.
It was nearly 1 a.m. when it finally ended with Wozniacki beating Gullickson, 6-1, 6-1. Although they are both just 20 years old, Wozniacki is an established Top 3 player in the world while Gullickson was playing in her first WTA event match. Gullickson had received a wild card into the tournament due to her being the reigning NCAA singles champion from Georgia.
“It’s just a great feeling,” Wozniacki said after the match. “I didn’t feel too nervous. I was just happy to get out there and play since we waited so long. It was nice to get out there and know the crowd was still out there supporting me.”
Wozniacki has taken the tennis world by storm since beating Melanie Oudin in last year’s U.S. Open quarterfinals and making it all the way to the final.
“We are so proud of our wonderful tennis players, and have always supported their dreams of playing on the women’s professional tour,” said Amber Walker, Laurel Springs director of PR, who has had a personal relationship with both players since they began attending Laurel Springs. “Both Caroline and Chelsey are two very talented young ladies. It has been a pleasure to watch them achieve their goals both through their tennis profession, and with their education. We are cheering for all our students at the U.S. Open.”
Wozniacki said it was hard to be the last match of the day. “I warmed up and then just went into the lockerroom and relaxed a little bit. The first match of a tournament is always tough. You never know what to expect.”
The match took place on the same day that another Laurel Springs student Beatrice Capra, a recent graduate, was the talk of the U.S. Open as the 18-year-old from Ellicott City, Md., pulled off the biggest win of her young career in tennis’ final Grand Slam of the year.
Capra, ranked No. 371 in the WTA world rankings, beat No. 95th-ranked Karolina Sprem of Croatia, 6-1, 6-3, in the first round on a hot and steamy day in Flushing Meadows, N.Y.
Laurel Springs School, founded in 1991, is an accredited, college prep private school offering distance learning programs and teacher services for students in grades K-12. Laurel Springs serves students across the United States and in 43 countries. Current enrollment is 2,000 students with more than 1,000 students enrolled in the online high school program. To learn more about Laurel Springs School, go to www.laurelsprings.com.
