• WTA Tour

Wozniacki survives lapse to reach Beijing final

ESPN staff
October 9, 2010
Caroline Wozniacki won the last six games of her match © Getty Images
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Caroline Wozniacki celebrated her coronation as world No. 1 by storming into the China Open final with a 7-5 6-2 win over Shahar Peer.

The Dane, who usurped Serena Williams at the top of the rankings by beating Petra Kvitova on Thursday, suffered an alarming dip in form during the first set before recovering to seal the victory.

She will now face Vera Zvonareva, who destroyed Na Li's serve during a 6-3 6-3 win, in the final.

Wozniacki appeared to be cruising into the final when she raced into a 5-2 lead in the first set, but she wasted five set points and allowed her opponent to fight back to 5-5. The slump was only a fleeting one, however, as she lost one point in the last two games to take a one-set lead.

The second set was a lot more straightforward for the precocious Dane, who won six games in a row to carry herself over the line. She will now hope to gain revenge for her defeat to Zvonareva in the semi-finals of the US Open.

Earlier, Zvonareva had proved too powerful for her Chinese opponent, winning 30 of 50 points against her opponent's serve. Although Li produced a commendable first-serve percentage of 66, she did not inject her deliveries with enough venom to cause her opponent any troubles.

World No. 4 Zvonareva, who needed 72 minutes to close out her triumph, is now one match away from her 11th WTA Tour title. "I knew I just had to hang in there and counter punch when I could, get every single ball and fight for every point and I think I did that," she said.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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