CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Second-seeded Caroline Wozniacki opened with a strong showing at the Family Circle, defeating Silvia Soler-Espinosa 6-1, 6-1 on Wednesday for her sixth straight victory here.
Wozniacki only entered the tournament Saturday when a scheduled mission trip to Haiti with boyfriend Rory McIlroy was postponed. The 2011 Family Circle champion didn’t show much rust from her last-minute decision to play. She broke Soler-Espinosa twice to win the final five games of the opening set.
Wozniacki continued to use her big serves — she took a 3-1 lead in the second set on a 111 mph ace — to keep Soler-Espinosa on the defensive and wrapped up the match in 59 minutes.
Past champions Samantha Stosur and Venus Williams play later.
World No. 1 Serena Williams won her opening match here Tuesday.