That 'Woz' pretty easy for women's No. 1 seed

In the heat of the midday sun yesterday at Arthur Ashe Stadium, it was easy to feel empathy for Chang Kai-chen. She spent 47 minutes being dominated by the No. 1 seed, Caroline Wozniacki, who won the match, 6-0, 6-0.

Wozniacki controlled play from start to finish, overpowering the 5-foot-6 Chang, who was unseeded and is from Chinese Taipei. With the 5-foot-10 Wozniacki pounding powerful ground strokes and dictating rallies -- when there were any -- it seemed at times like an unfair matchup.

"I felt great out there today," Wozniacki said. "It's nice to be the No. 1 seed, and, you know, it's nice to play at the big stadium. It's a great atmosphere."

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It was made easier for the 20-year-old Dane because Chang struggled to keep the ball in play. Getting just 53 percent of her first serves in and double faulting seven times, as well as making 26 unforced errors, Chang didn't give herself much of a chance for the upset.

"I've played tough matches in the previous weeks," Wozniacki said when asked about the fact that through two matches she has dropped two games total. "I've been playing really great tennis. I'm feeling good, so no worries."

Wozniacki is the second-ranked player in the world, behind only Serena Williams, who is not playing in the Open because of a foot injury. Having won four times this year on Tour, tallying $1.4 million in prize money, Wozniacki is carrying quite a bit of confidence. And with it, she also carries good memories of her play in Flushing. Last year she made it to the finals, losing to Kim Clijsters in a hard-fought and emotional battle. It was her best performance to date in a Grand Slam.

"The expectations maybe from the outside has changed [from a year ago], but, from myself, I always go into a tournament and I want to win it," Wozniacki said. "Doesn't really matter what tournament I'm playing, and I always believe in myself. It's not always possible to win every tournament, but at least I give it a shot."

Next in line for Wozniacki is Yung-Jan Chan, another woman from Chinese Taipei. And after that, a potential match with 14th seed Maria Sharapova. But that's getting a little too far ahead for Wozniacki.

"I never look at the draw," she said. "It really doesn't matter for me. It's just about winning and getting through to the next rounds. As long as I win, it really doesn't matter how the match looks."