Safina and Wozniacki reach Madrid final

 

Originally published on: 26/02/10 11:32

Dinara Safina is looking more like a world No.1 by the day, setting up a Madrid Open final against Caroline Wozniacki with a comprehensive 6-4 6-2 victory against Patty Schnyder at La Caja Magica.

Fresh from last week’s victory in Rome, the Russian reached her fifth final of the season with a fourth career win over the world No.20.

The 23-year-old Safina broke Schnyder four times, hitting 28 winners along the way to compensate for her five double-faults.

The match was as good as settled when, after an early break to start the second set, Safina saved two break points in game six before sending a forehand winner down the line for a 4-2 lead.

A nearly identical forehand winner on the run followed in the next game as Safina raced towards the finish.

Safina and Wozniacki will face each other for the first time in the final, after the No.9 seed reached her third final of the season with a 7-6(1) 6-3 victory over Amelie Mauresmo.

The 18-year-old, who hasn’t dropped a set all week, started brightly with a break but then was broken twice to find herself set point down. But Mauresmo missed two chances to seal the set and Wozniacki rallied to level, before jumping out to a comfortable 4-0 lead in the tiebreak.

The players exchanged breaks at the start of the second set, but Mauresmo was broken for the fifth time in game six, which proved decisive. Wozniacki saved two break points in game nine before clinching it on her second match point when Mauresmo hit long.

“That’s one of my strengths, being able to play aggressively and putting the balls back on the run,” said Wozniacki, who will become the first Danish player to crack the world top 10 when this week’s rankings are released. “We’ll see how far I can go.”

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