TENNIS WTA TOKYO – Caroline Wozniacki beat Garbine Muguruza 6-4 2-6 6-2 in the first semifinal of the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, a WTA Premier Tournament. In tomorrow’s final the number 2 seed will take on Ana Ivanovic who beat German Angelique Kerber with 7-5 6-4. Diego Sampaolo
Wozniacki vs Muguruza 6-4 2-6 6-2
Wozniacki qualified for the Tokyo final thanks to a solid match on serve. The Danish player saved 19 of the 23 break points she faced during the match.
Muguruza played a good match but she did not convert her nine break point chances in the first set. Wozniacki saved all of them
The Danish star converted her first break point chance to take the 5-4 in the first set. Muguruza committed two unforced errors at 5-4 15-30 in the tenth game to drop the first set after 50 minutes.
Muguruza got the break in the opening game of the second set. Both players traded three consecutive breaks in the first three games. Muguruza was the first to hold serve in the fourth game and took a 3-1 lead. In the crucial sixth game of the second set Muguruza faced six break points but she managed to save all of them to take the 4-2 lead before getting the break in the seventh game to pull away to 5-2. Muguruza held serve to 30 to close out the second set. ’14 Muguruza created three break points from 0-40 in the first game of the third set but she did not convert them.
Wozniacki went down 0-2 in the third set but she reeled off four consecutive points turning around the match. Muguruza got two points for 3-1 but she did not convert them. She made three unforced errors including a double fault allowing Wozniacki to break back for 2-2.
Muguruza earned two break points but once again she did not convert them. Wozniacki broke serve in the sixth game for 4-2 before closing out the third set after 2 hours and 30 minutes to qualify for her 37th career final.
Wozniacki hit 27 winners (including 19 in the first set) and committed 16 unforced errors. Muguruza, a quarter finalist at this year’s Roland Garros, hit 53 winners but she committed 50 unforced errors.
Wozniacki, US Open finalist, confirmed her impressive form with her 22nd win in 22 of her last 26 hard-court matches this season. Wozniacki, who will run the next New York City Marathon on 2nd November, showed once again her resistance in the decisive stages of the match after a 2- hour and 30-minute long battle, while Muguruza began committing too many unforced errors.
Wozniacki and Muguruza met for the third time in their careers. The Spanish player won both matches in Miami 2013 and at the Australian Open in 2014
“She was playing really well and very aggressively but I just kept fighting and staying in there. I think that at the end I had just a little bit more energy than she did”, said Wozniacki.
Ivanovic vs Kerber 7-5 6-3
Ana Ivanovic and Angelique Kerber played their seventh career match. The Serb led 4-2 over her German rival in their previous matches.
Ivanovic fought back from a 3-5 deficit in the first set by winning 10 of her last 13 games to clinch a 7-5 6-3 win over Angelique Kerber. Ivanovic scored her 51st win of the season and qualified for her 22nd career final.
Both players traded breaks in the first three games before Kerber was the first to hold serve to take the 3-1 lead in the fourth game after saving two break points at 15-40.
Ivanovic saved a break point for 2-5 which would have enabled Kerber to serve for the set but she failed to convert a break-back point chance in the eighth game.
Kerber served for the set at 5-4 but Ivanovic earned two break-back point chances but Kerber fended them off.
Ivanovic converted her third break back point chance when Kerber committed an unforced error with her forehand.
In the next game Ivanovic saved two break points before clinching the first set in the 12th game.
Ivanovic hit 19 winners to 21 unforced errors in the first set compared to 7 winners but 14 unforced errors for Kerber
Kerber earned five break point chances including three consecutive points from 0-40 but Ivanovic saved them.
At 1-2 Kerber committed a double fault before dropping serve when Ivanovic hit a cross-court passing shot.
Ivanovic saved two break-back point chances at 4-1 with her serve. In the eighth game the Serb did not convert six break point chances for 5-2 but she wrapped up the match in in the ninth game to qualify for her sixth final in 2014.
“It took time to adjust to her game in the beginning. Once I adjusted and got more aggressive, it started to go my way. I am happy with the win because she is always a tough and challenging opponent”, said Ivanovic
Both Wozniacki and Ivanovic will fight for points to qualify for the WTA Finals in Singapore. Ivanovic is currently ranked in 8th place, one spot ahead of Wozniacki. The Serbian player leads 4-2 in their previous head-to-head matches but they met only once this year in Monterrey where Ivanovic prevailed.
