Wozniacki Into Final, Kerber Downs JJ

Written by: Staff on 14th April 2012

Wozniacki Into Final, Kerber Downs JJ

Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark reacts after winning the first set in her match against Jelena Jankovic in their round four match at the Australian Tennis Open in Melbourne, Australia, 22 January 2012. Wozniacki won. EPA/DAVID CROSLING AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND OUT |

ORIGINAL LINK: HTTP://WWW.WTATENNIS.COM/NEWS/20120414/WOZNIACKI-INTO-FINAL-KERBER-DOWNS-JJ_2256076_2735637)

WHEN SHE DOES WELL AT A TOURNAMENT, SHE REALLY DOES WELL AT A TOURNAMENT. CAROLINE WOZNIACKI IMPROVED TO 14-0 AT THE E-BOKS OPEN ON SATURDAY, BEATING PETRA MARTIC IN THE SEMIFINALS TO REACH HER THIRD STRAIGHT FINAL AT THE EVENT – ONE WIN AWAY FROM HER THIRD STRAIGHT TITLE THERE.

WATCH LIVE FROM BARCELONA & COPENHAGEN ALL WEEK ON WTA LIVE!

THE NO.1-SEEDED WOZNIACKI BROKE SERVE FOUR TIMES AND HIT FIVE ACES EN ROUTE TO A 63 62 WIN OVER THE UNSEEDED MARTIC, WHO FELL TO 0-7 AGAINST TOP 10 PLAYERS.

“PETRA PLAYED QUITE WELL. SHE’S A VERY GOOD PLAYER,” WOZNIACKI SAID. “I WAS JUST ABLE TO PLAY BETTER TODAY. I FELT I WAS ABLE TO CONTROL THE POINTS THROUGHOUT THE MATCH. I ALSO PUT MORE PRESSURE ON HER BY NOT GIVING AWAY ANY EASY POINTS.”

COPENHAGEN MADE ITS DEBUT ON THE WTA CALENDAR IN 2010 AND WOZNIACKI HAS NEVER LOST HERE, GOING 5-0 TO WIN THAT YEAR, 5-0 TO WIN IN 2011 AND 4-0 THIS YEAR.

“IT’S ALWAYS NICE TO WIN AT HOME BUT I DON’T THINK ABOUT IT TOO MUCH,” WOZNIACKI SAID. “I DON’T THINK IT’S EASY FOR ME HERE, BECAUSE THERE ARE A LOT OF GOOD PLAYERS. I JUST SEEM TO PLAY VERY CONSISTENTLY HERE, WHICH IS WHEN I’M DANGEROUS.”

THE DIFFICULTY LEVEL WILL SHOOT UP IN WOZNIACKI’S NEXT MATCH. IN THOSE 14 PREVIOUS WINS SHE HAS NEVER PLAYED ANYONE RANKED HIGHER THAN NO.38 – AND IN THE FINAL SHE HAS NO.15-RANKED, NO.2-SEEDED ANGELIQUE KERBER, WHO HAD AN EVEN MORE DOMINANT 62 61 WIN OVER NO.20-RANKED, NO.3-SEEDED JELENA JANKOVIC.

“FIRST OF ALL, JELENA IS AN AMAZING PLAYER. I WAS SURPRISED I WAS ABLE TO WIN THAT COMFORTABLY,” KERBER SAID. “I’VE BEEN GETTING MORE USED TO THIS SURFACE, WHICH HELPED A LOT. I WAS VERY FOCUSED AND TRIED TO KEEP MYSELF IN EVERY POINT.”

AFTER BEING PUSHED TO THREE SETS IN HER FIRST THREE ROUNDS THIS WEEK, KERBER’S DOMINANT SEMIFINAL WIN HAS GIVEN HER AN EXTRA BOOST AS SHE TRIES TO BEAT WOZNIACKI FOR THE FIRST TIME – WOZNIACKI HAS BEATEN KERBER IN BOTH OF THEIR PREVIOUS MEETINGS, ALTHOUGH IN THEIR LAST MEETING, RIGHT HERE LAST YEAR IN THE SECOND ROUND, KERBER HELD SET POINTS IN THE FIRST SET OF A 76(4) 63 LOSS, WHEN SHE WAS ONLY RANKED NO.76 IN THE WORLD (AND WOZNIACKI WAS NO.1 IN THE WORLD).

KERBER HAS HAD QUITE THE BREAKTHROUGH YEAR AGAINST THE WTA’S ELITE, HOWEVER. HAVING NEVER BEATEN A TOP 10 PLAYER BEFORE FEBRUARY, SHE HAS GONE 3-1 AGAINST THEM SINCE THEN, WITH WINS OVER MARIA SHARAPOVA AND MARION BARTOLI IN PARIS AND LI NA IN INDIAN WELLS (THE ONLY LOSS COMING TO VICTORIA AZARENKA THERE).

“I HAVE GAINED A LOT OF CONFIDENCE WITH TODAY’S WIN AND I´M LOOKING FORWARD TO THE FINAL AGAINST CAROLINE,” KERBER SAID AFTER HER SEMIFINAL WIN OVER JANKOVIC. “IT WILL BE TOUGH BOTH PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY, AS WE KNOW EACH OTHER VERY WELL.”