Seoul – Former world number one Caroline Wozniacki and injury-plagued Kaia Kanepi set up a Seoul WTA final showdown after battling through three-set semifinals on Saturday at the $500,000 event.
Top-seeded Wozniacki saw off Russian eighth seed Ekaterina
Makarova 6-1, 5-7, 6-4, but could have finished the job in straight sets when she led 6-1, 5-4 and 30-0 on her serve.
“I did really well in the first set but couldn't close the second set out; I'm happy I finally broke her one more time in the third,” Wozniacki said.
“She was returning very well today but I was just trying to focus on the next ball and the next game, and moving my feet better. At the end of the day I'm happy to get through.”
Third-seeded Estonian Kanepi saw off American sixth seed Varvara Lepchenko, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4.
Kanepi's run to the final is impressive given this is her first tournament in more than three months Ä after the French Open she had to pull out of 10 tournaments, including Wimbledon, the Olympics and the US Open, due to an Achilles injury.
“My season has definitely had its ups and downs because of my injuries, but last year was the same, and my whole career has been a little bit up and down as well,” Kanepi commented. “It's nothing new and I'm used to it.” – Sapa-AFP