2010 title winner Caroline Wozniacki secured a final spot defeating the defending champion of the Toray Pan Pacific Open Saturday afternoon. The former number one knocked out second seeded Agnieszka Radwanska in a lengthy three setter 4-6, 7-5, 6-4 at Ariake Coliseum on the grounds of the Ariake Tennis Forest.
This was a first meeting this season and the 13th that began the friendly rivalry dating back to 2007. Wozniacki leads the series 8-4 with her having not lost against Radwanska in the last six sets. The world number four and defending champion of the open wanted to not only break the losing streak but to inch closer to win back to back titles in Tokyo. She handled her quarterfinal match like a pro giving Monica Puig a loss in straight sets. With a player who she has practiced with on numerous occasions, the second seed had to put friendship aside and get to business as usual.
Radwanska held serve in the opening game but her defense on the serve of Wozniacki proved to be difficult early on. Unforced errors handed an easy win to the former number one who had strong service shots to begin the match. She continued on the path matching the wins of her rival through four games. Wozniacki kept the pace through six putting all her effort to capture the first break in the seventh.
The Dane forced deuce with Radwanska who opened the door for her opponent to gain the opportunity for control. Though it took a couple of breaks, Wozniacki managed to get the win and take a 4-3 lead. Radwanska was fine changing the pace of the game responding with a break of her own to level the set once more. She consolidated with a hold of serve in the ninth holding off Wozniacki who broke the love service.
She went for the victory in the tenth but not without opposition from Wozniacki who forced deuce making Radwanska earn it. She did work in the tight competition to end things in 48 minutes. The stats between the two were dead even with the only difference being that the Polish star was a set up in the match.
Wozniacki began service in the second set getting a victory over Radwanska to make the important stance. It was the last she’d see for a time as the world number four took off like a lightning bolt taking the next three games. A break for the Dane arrived just in time breaking the winning streak of Radwanska staying closer than she was when the set began. She leveled things at three all with the notion that she had to gain some control in the game.
Things got into deuce through a couple of breaks but in the end it was Radwanska holding service to gain back the lead. Radwanska was back in control dictating her way to a 5-3 break in the eighth serving for the match win. Unforced errors plagued her hope for perfection losing confidence and allowing Wozniacki some hope. She got the victory with an angled shot away from Radwanska for the break and the serve back in her hands to open the tenth.
Wozniacki jumped out to 40-0 on serve and prevented any room for her opponent pushing the set forward beyond the required number. The Dane made a serious statement in the 11th where she gained two break points on Radwanska to serve for the set. Despite the serious play that occurred in the 12th, Wozniacki got the big edge on deuce and captured the set making a deciding third to be the biggest moment of their run at the tournament. The set took 61 minutes to complete with Wozniacki putting plenty of pressure on Radwanska to put her title on the line in the critical stage.
Radwanska found the difficultly into a higher gear as she broke on serve in the opening game. She fought back to break Wozniacki making it clear that she wasn’t going to be the superior one on court. It soon turned into Radwanska’s game to be victorious as she gained a 3-1 lead on the Dane hoping to keep the fire alive. It was suddenly quenched by Wozniacki who had enough in her to keep fighting.
She pressed hard to get back to level pegging after sixth making the seventh the biggest game changer to occur. The players got onto deuce with the Dane playing strong for the break but found herself in a tight game. After five break chances, she got it done to take the 4-3 lead completing the longest game of the match.
Wozniacki carried the pace as she neared the end of the road playing on serve in the eighth. Despite scraping up her knee during the rally, the world number 28 took a 5-3 hold playing for the match and the upset. She gained some ground against Radwanska who was playing to keep her repeat title hopes alive. The Polish star leveled back in the game before gaining the advantage on deuce that allowed her another game to play.
The ninth saw Wozniacki serve for the match where she easily got to three match points. She found herself one point away till an unforced error opened the door slightly for Radwanska. Though she gave up two points, she watched the 14 shot rally end with the ball landing into the net ending a long 2 hours and 50-minute match.
“I think every time I play her we play tough matches and long ones,” Wozniacki said during her on court interview. “I played really well today and lucky to have won that second set.” With a very hard match over and done with, the 26-year-old could relax while awaiting the winner between Naomi Osaka and Elina Svitolina in the final scheduled for Sunday.
Photo by: Toru Yamanaka/Getty Images
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