2017 WTA Finals in Singapore has picked its first finalist of this year's edition after another wonderful display of tennis from Caroline Wozniacki. The 27-year-old Dane will feature in her second final of the event and the first since it has been held in Singapore. Wozniacki was the runner-up of the 2010 WTA Finals that was held in Doha. She lost that final to Kim Clijsters. Now, she might face another WTA legend as Venus Williams will try to fend off the young blood of Caroline Garcia. If the Frenchwoman wins over Williams, Wozniacki will have the chance to avenge the Round Robin defeat.
For Wozniacki, a potential success in Singapore would propel her as high as third in the world with the summit open for a hard battle next year in January at the Australian Open.
Wozniacki handled Pliskova's firepower well
Singapore comes with perhaps the slowest surface of the WTA circuit and that seems to be working well for the former world No. 1. On the other side, her opponent Karolina Pliskova couldn't find a way to hit through Wozniacki's defensive wall. The first set saw a toe-to-toe battle but it was Pliskova who had the first set points. Losing three chances in a single game, she allowed the Dane to keep the hopes alive for the inaugural act. It all went down to a tie-break. An early surge gave Wozniacki five set point opportunities in a row.
Somehow, Pliskova recovered the deficit to have few more set points of her own. The drama didn't vanish though, as Wozniacki had another surge that eventually handed her the set.
With a set in her pocket, Wozniacki went on controlling the second act too. All Pliskova's efforts were reduced to nothing as the Dane surged to a straight-sets win after claiming the second act by 6-3.
Therefore, despite a rock-solid start, Pliskova won't have the chance to end the year as the world No.1. The current world leader, Simona Halep will remain at the summit for the next few months.
Garcia would make a better opponent in the final
The second semifinal in Singapore will oppose Venus Williams and Caroline Garcia. Basically, the most consistent WTA player in Grand Slams in 2017 will take on the newest WTA sensation who had a late surge during the Asian swing on the hard court.
Wozniacki would probably want to face Caroline Garcia again in what may be a replay of their Round Robin encounter. On the other side, Venus Williams stands as an unsolved riddle with Wozniacki losing all the previous seven matches over the 37-year-old American.
