Top seed Venus Williams overcame some stiff opposition from third seed Yulia Putintseva during her 7-5, 6-3, triumph in the semifinals of the Taiwan Open.
Williams has beaten the Kazakh player in their two previous meetings prior to this week, however, the 35-year-old was forced to work hard throughout both sets. The world No.12 got off to a solid start after breaking Putintseva in the fourth game of the match to lead 3-1. Williams was on the course to take the opening set with ease as she extended her lead to 5-2. Despite having the dominating lead, Williams failed to serve the set out at 5-2 as Putintseva produced some outstanding tennis to level 5-5. The comeback from Putintseva ended in disappointment following an error stricken service game. As Williams held her service to nudge ahead 6-5, Putintseva hit a costly unforced error in the following game to give the 35-year-old two set points. Williams failed to convert the first, but was successful with her second after a backhand from the third seed went into the net.
Leading by a set, Williams exchanged a series of breaks of serve with her opponent throughout the second set. Williams kept applying pressure with her aggressive shots as Putintseva found a way to battle back in spectacular fashion.
The world No.12 broke for the third time in the set to lead 5-3. Serving for the match, Williams still encountered resistance from the world No.64. Her first match point was dismissed by an impressive Putintseva forehand. Williams was then forced to fend off another break point before battling to her second match point. The match was sealed after a forehand from Putintseva went long.
During her semifinal encounter, Williams produced a disappointing 12 double faults compared to six aces. Despite this, the top seed still won 59% of her service points and saved 5/9 break points. Following her win in Kaohsiung, Williams praised the performance of her opponent.
“What a tough opponent today,” Williams said of Putintseva after the match. “She has so much energy.
“It was very difficult to win, but I’m very glad to be in the final tomorrow.”
Williams will now play in her 79th WTA final on Sunday. Her opponent will be second seed Misaki Doi. Doi produced an impressive 6-0, 6-2, win over home favorite Su-Wei Hsieh. Despite being the second seed, Doi will be the underdog in the final. Unlike the experience of Williams, the world No.61 will play in only her third WTA final (counting WTA 125K tournaments). Nevertheless, Williams is aware of the threat.
“I’ve never played her before,” Williams said. “I have no idea what to expect.”
“But to be in the final you have to play well, so I’m sure to expect the best tennis from her.”
