A tireless Caroline Wozniacki stormed into the final of the season-finale in Singapore with a straight sets victory over Karolina Pliskova, ending the Czech’s dreams of finishing world number one. The world number six prevailed in a roller coaster match 7-6 (9), 6-3 in one hour and 57 minutes to reach the decider of the WTA Finals for the first time since 2010.
Wozniacki will play American veteran Venus Williams in Sunday’s final. Williams, 37, came from a set down to triumph 6-7 (7/3), 6-2, 6-3 in two hours and 29 minutes at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. The seven-time grand slam winner will be the oldest finalist in WTA Finals history when she plays Wozniacki. Even though she had a stellar season reaching two grand slam finals, the world number five will be seeking her first title of the year. She has now won two of three against Garcia in the pair’s first clash since 2014.
Wozniacki said she kept ‘fighting’ through the marathon 82-minute first set. “It went back and forth,” she told reporters after the match. “It was very important to win the first set. I think that broke her a little bit. I think it was important for both of us to get that first one.”
Long rallies, with both in-form players slugging from the baseline, highlighted a grinding start. There was little separating the pair with holds of serve hard to come by. There were four straight breaks in the first set and Wozniacki held off three set points in the 10th game.
The Dane blew a 6-1 lead in the tiebreak, losing six straight points, but eventually claimed the first set. Wozniacki seemingly had a stranglehold of the match with an early break in the second set only for Pliskova to storm back. But she had a decisive break in the eighth game and then served it out to book her spot in the final.
Pliskova needed to lift the trophy on Sunday to overtake world number one Simona Halep in the rankings. The 25-year-old had been hoping to regain the top ranking after being crowned world number one in July.
Williams claimed that the decisive break in the eighth game of the third set before her clutch serving saw her overcame three break points and claim a memorable victory. “Every time I thought I was close, she (Garcia) would play amazing,” Williams said after the match. “It is hard to produce your best tennis at the end of the year because you’ve given so much. Nothing is easy. It’s amazing to almost be in the winner’s circle.”