World number one Caroline Wozniacki raced into the second round of the US Open on Tuesday, saying she has emerged from a summer slump just in time to challenge for a first Grand Slam title.

Wozniacki rolled to a 6-3, 6-1 victory over 125th-ranked Spaniard Nuria Llagostera Vives, but had little time to savour the win before she was again parrying questions over whether she needs a Grand Slam crown to legitimize her place atop the rankings.

   “I won six tournaments this year,” noted Wozniacki, who added a fourth straight New Haven title to her resume on Saturday. “I’m happy, healthy, and I can go out there and compete. That’s what’s most important.

   “It has actually been nice the last three, four weeks because I haven’t gotten any questions about number one.

   “I know that everyone has to write their stories, but I think we  should move on. Ask me about something else, something more interesting.”   

But the fact remains that while Wozniacki has consolidated her spot atop the rankings with half a dozen titles this season, she has flopped in Grand Slams, with a semi-final exit in Australia, a third-round defeat at Roland Garros and a fourth-round loss at Wimbledon.

   Since then she suffered early exits at Bastad, Toronto and Cincinnati and dropped her father Piotr as her coach.

   “Yeah, I’ve gotten a couple of losses, but that’s what happens,”  Wozniacki said of her disappointing run. “I tried a few things that  didn’t work out.

   “But I came back last week and won in New Haven, which was a great feeling.

   “I’m number one still and I’ve just won a tournament, so I’m feeling fine, I’m feeling good.”   

Wozniacki said she’s working now with a coach who prefers to remain in the background, but is happy receiving long-distance advice.

   “I like the way I have everything now. I’m happy about things around my team,” she said. “So I can just focus on the things on court.”   

While the “mystery coach” has been sparked speculation in the tennis world, there’s no secret about her other blossoming relationship with Northern Ireland’s US Open golf champion Rory McIlroy — who is not here this week as he is competing in Switzerland.

   That has been well-documented on Twitter, and Wozniacki didn’t deny that she’d like to join McIlroy in claiming a US Open title —  just as he’d like to claim number one status in the golf world.

   “You know, he has something I’m looking for and I have something  he’s looking for,” Wozniacki said. “He wants to be number one, so it’s good to have something on each other.