20 February,2011 05:39 AM IST | | AFP
That's how World No 1 Wozniacki overcame her Serbian opponent Jankovic to win their semis clash 7-5, 6-3
Caroline Wozniacki celebrated regaining the World No 1 ranking from Kim Clijsters on Friday by reaching the final of the $2,000,000 Dubai tournament for the first time with an impressively adaptable performance on Saturday.
The top-seeded Dane won 7-5, 6-3 against the former World No 1 from Serbia, Jelena Jankovic, after being outplayed in the early part of the match and changing her approach.
Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki serves to Serbia's Jelena Jankovic during
their semi-final in the WTA Dubai Open Championship on Saturday.
Wozniacki won 7-5, 6-3. PIC/AFP
Wozniacki still had to save four set points in the ninth game, but after doing that and sneaking the first set with a net cord, Jankovic tired and her effort faded. It was the first time in five meetings that Wozniacki had beaten her.
"It's always difficult against her," Wozniacki said. "I had to stay firm and even when I was 2-5 down I kept fighting. "I needed more time to get into the match," she added.
The confidence and resolve needed to adopt a policy of more assertive ball-striking appeared to stem from the time out Wozniacki took with her father-coach Piotr when she was 0-3 down and struggling.
Soon afterwards she had her best phase of the match, during which both players struck the ball fluently, looking for openings.
After three games of the second set however Jankovic needed treatment to a foot, and gradually showed the physical diminishment caused by several months of sickness and injury.
Nevertheless the Serb's three wins, including one over Kaia Kinepi from 3-5 in the final set, and another over Samantha Stosur from 1-4 in the final set, was her best sequence for five months and suggested she is on the way back.
Jankovic came within one good blow of a break back for 4-4 in the second set, but after Wozniacki had frustrated her, she faded suddenly, ending the match with a double fault.
In the final, Wozniacki will play Svetlana Kuznetsova, the former US and French Open champion from Russia. In the second semi-final, Kuznetsova beat Italian Flavia Pennetta 6-4, 6-4.
