Dubai: Former champion and tenth seed Caroline Wozniacki made her second final in Dubai when she swept aside Latvia’s Anastasija Sevastova 6-3, 6-4 before an appreciative crowd at the Dubai Duty Free Women’s Open on Friday.
A champion here in 2011, Wozniacki — who was the losing finalist to Karolina Pliskova in Doha last week — was always in control in her less than one-and-a-half hour on court against her unseeded opponent.
Wozniacki will play the winner of the second semi-final between top seed Angelique Kerber and seventh seed Elina Svitolina that was scheduled to be played later on Friday.
Making her seventh appearance in Dubai, Wozniacki became the most successful player in the 17-year history of this annual tournament with two finals and four appearances in the semi-finals between 2012 and 2015. “I think the crowd plays a huge role in pushing me here in Dubai,” Wozniacki complimented.
“As an ambassador for Dubai Duty Free, I am just so happy to be through to yet another final. I don’t know who it is going to be — [Angelique] Kerber or [Elina] Svitolina in the final tomorrow. I have lost to them both recently, so it is going to be a good battle out on court,” the Dane added.
Both players were cautious at the start and it was the 26-year-old Wozniacki making the first move with a break in the eighth game to then serve out the set in 36 minutes. In the second, the tenth seeded player from Denmark broke in the fifth for 3-2, and then survived a break when she clawed back from 0-40 down to go 4-2 up.
Both players had an exchange of breaks in the eighth and ninth games, but Wozniacki was in a hurry and finished off proceedings with an ace down the middle.
Wozniacki was pleased with a solid couple of weeks. “I am very happy with how I Jokerbet have been playing, and very happy how I have managed to get through these two weeks because it’s been very tiring mentally. And I am proud of the fact that I have just been staying in there and keep grinding,” she added.
The former world number one admitted that she was in a fix at times trying to make her way out of sticky situations against Sevastova. “She definitely was a tricky opponent. I knew going into it that she was going to be difficult. She mixes the pace up. She really tries to break your rhythm,” Wozniacki said.
“I was really pleased with how I was playing. I tried to stay aggressive and tried to mix it up, as well,” she added.
RESULTS
(Women’s singles semi-finals) Caroline Wozniacki bt Anastasija Sevastova 6-3, 6-4
(Women’s doubles semi-finals) Ekaterina Makarova/Elena Vesnina bt Sania Mirza/Barbora Strycova 6-4, 6-3
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