Take all the shots Caroline Wozniacki you want. She's a pusher, she can't hit baseline winners, she's an undeserving No. 1, she can't win a big match unless it's in New Haven. She's heard them all.

There's one thing you can' take away from the slam-less Dane whose top ranking is based on quirk, circumstance and skewed mathematical representations of the tennis season. The girl's got fight.*For all her other tennis flaws, Wozniacki is a gamer in the mold of a Serena Williams and it showed in two three-set wine over former U.S. Open champion Svetlana Kuzntesova.

Wozniacki and down a set and a break and computers in the USTA medica center were doubtlessly clicking away with words about how Wozniacki can't get it done in big events and how this new slump is indicative of some greater problem with her game. Caroline didn't let that narrative began. She moved up in the court on returns, became more confidence in her second serve and made up for the tight open-set tiebreaker she lost. The old game was still there: She didn't hit many winners (26) or unforced errors (20), instead letting Kuznetsova dictate points and struggle (40 winners, 78 UEs).

The conditioning differences were evident too. While Kunetsova looked like she had just run a marathon, the younger Wozniacki looked gresh. "Felt like I could play another two or three sets if I had to," she said.

She will on Wednesday against the big-hitting Andrea Petkovic. Her fight is a big reason why.

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