Caroline Wozniacki can pride herself on more than her tennis results – this sharp answer regarding what else than her No.1 ranking deserves special attention.

Q. Do you think it’s unfair when people criticize you or when people talk your game and they say, She gets lots of balls back, but she hasn’t got a big weapon? You’ve got to No. 1 in the world. Do you think that’s unfair when you hear people say that?

CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Um, well, if I don’t have a weapon, then what do the others have? Since I’m No. 1, I must do something right. I think there’re not actually criticizing me. I think the other players should be offended.

En route to the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships title, Wozniacki reclaimed her No.1 ranking, only briefly occupied by Kim Clijsters (for seven days, in particular), and will reign the position for at least another four weeks.

Therefore, the 20-year-old Dane is or will have been No. 1 longer than Tracy Austin, Kim Clijsters, Jelena Jankovic, Jennifer Capriati, Maria Sharapova, Ana Ivanovic, Arantxa Sánchez-Vicario, Venus Williams and Evonne Goolagong. Impressive! Especially when you see it like this on paper. (photo: Ralf Reinecke)

Caroline Wozniacki raced to the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships title without losing a set, including the final against Svetlana Kuznetsova, while playing the tournament only for the second time (last year she lost in the third round to Shahar Peer). Championship match score: 6-1 6-3.

The unfortunate Kuznetsova is still awaiting her first Dubai title, even though today's final was her third at the tournament – in 2004 she fell to Justine Henin and in 2008 to Elena Demetieva. The final appearance will still bring a nice improvement in world No.23 Kuznetsova's ranking – at least ten spots.

Not only did Wozniacki win the high-profile tournament of Dubai, but she also ensured her comeback to top ranking position, with a quarterfinal win over Shahar Peer. By further progressing in the event, and eventually winning the title, Wozniacki is projected to occupy the No.1 spot for at least next four weeks.

The title is Wozniacki's 13th and her first in 2011. As for financial gain, Wozniacki earned $360,000, while Kuznetsova earned $180,000. (photo via Dubai tournament)

Caroline Wozniacki had reached the semifinals of the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships, thus ensuring her return to the No.1 ranking, and today she went a step further by defeating Jelena Jankovic for the first time in their five meetings and advancing to the final.

The top-seeded Wozniacki confidently profited on all Jankovic's lost opportunities, impatience and tiredness – in the first set Jankovic blew a 5-3 40-0 lead and later a chance to force a tiebreak while leading 40-15 on Wozniacki's serve in the 12th game. Jankovic's troubles marked the end of the set as well, when her double fault gave Wozniacki a set point and then a lucky net handed the Dane the set.

In the second set Wozniacki broke the sixth-seeded Jankovic in the fifth game, and even though the Serb immediately broke back to level at 3-3, her concentration was on a very low level and her defeat rapidly approached. Final score: 7-5 6-3.

Wozniacki's opponent in the final of the $2,050,000 Dubai event will be 16th seed Svetlana Kuznetsova, who defeated seed No.11 Flavia Pennetta 6-4 6-4 in the semifinals. (photo: Women Who Serve)

Kim Clijsters may have taken the No.1 ranking from Caroline Wozniacki, but only a week later the 20-year-old Dane ensured her return to the very top. Probably a week wasn’t enough for Wozniacki to rest from all the talks about how she doesn’t deserve the position because she hasn’t won a Grand Slam, but like it or not, she’ll be spending her 19th week at No.1. That’s a pretty long reign, I would say. Clijsters, the winner of 41 singles titles including four Grand Slams, has held the top spot for 20 weeks in her career (in four different periods and over the course of eight years). Wozniacki is extremely close to that number even though she first became No.1 in October 2010, less than half a year ago. Read more »

Top seed Caroline Wozniacki defeated qualifier Ayumi Morita 6-1 6-0 to reach the quarterfinals of the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships, and ninth-seeded Israeli Shahar Peer, who says to be feeling like home in Dubai despite all the security measures, is the last obstacle standing between the Dane and her regaining of the No.1 ranking. Shahar was a semifinalist last year in Dubai, and her route to the final four included a straight set victory over Wozniacki in the third round.

Second-seeded Vera Zvonareva played one of her worst matches in a while, as she later stated, and lost to fellow Russian Alisa Kleybanova 6-3 6-2.

The third round also featured a rematch of the epic Australian Open third round encounter between Francesca Schiavone and Svetlana Kuznetsova. In Australia, Schiavone saved six match points and won the longest women's Grand Slam match in history, while today in Dubai she also saved six match points, but finally succumbed, 1-6 6-0 7-5.

"It's good, because I still have our last match in my heart. I still have this pain, because I fought so hard and I had so many chances and it was a Grand Slam. But it happens, I guess. I won this time," said Kuznetsova, who lost the first set. (via WTA Tour, photo: Ralf Reinecke)