Caroline Wozniacki outlasts Ekaterina Makarova to enter final showdown – KDB Korea Open 2012
Former world number one, Caroline Wozniacki, got the better of the eighth seed, Ekaterina Makarova, in a three-set thriller at the KDB Korea Open Tennis Championship 2012 on Saturday. She nudged up a 6-1, 5-7, 6-4 victory against the Russian star to book a spot in the title-round at the Seoul Olympic Park Tennis Center in South Korea.
Seeded top at this event, Wozniacki re-ignited her old spark and booked a spot in the final round after outfoxing the Russian in their fifth meeting. After recording the victory in two hours and 23 minutes, Wozniacki not only improved to a 5-0 lifetime in the head-to-head series against the world number 28 but also inched closer towards her maiden career title this circuit.
"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 reflected afterwards. "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."
The Danish number one made quick in-roads at this WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) International event. She broke Makarova’s opening serve and jumped to a 3-0 lead. After the Russian held her serve in the fourth game, Wozniacki pocketed the last three games and clicked the opener with a breadstick.
The 24-year-old rebounded in the following set. She got the coveted break in the fourth game to a take a 3-1 lead. The Russian lost her edge in the very next game and after exchanging two more serves, she levelled the scores at 5-5. However, Makarova stayed focused and pulled out the equaliser with a 7-5 score line after getting the breakthrough in the last game.
Currently ranked 11th in the WTA Premier rankings, Wozniacki re-gained her composure in the final set which counted the most. She got the desiderated break in the third game and took the initial lead at 2-1. Regardless of losing her edge in the very next game, the Dane maintained her intensity and held her remaining serves. She got the breakthrough in the ninth game and bagged the decider with a 6-4 win.
She will square off against the third seed, Kaia Kanepi, in the final showdown.
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