Wozniacki surprises Pliskova

Originally published on 11/08/17 00:00

The Dane had lost all six of her previous contests with reigning No.1s but she was not to be denied this time as she struck at the business end of the third set to record another fine victory in an excellent season.

"I thought she started off really strongly and she was attacking and playing really, really well," remarked Wozniacki. "After that, I feel like I stepped a little bit closer to the line to try and take away a little bit of time. I Once I got on a roll, I started serving better.

"I just tried to stay steady, tried to take the ball on the rise and try to stay aggressive when I could – and keep my serve aggressive too."

The former world No.1 will take on Sloane Stephens on Saturday. The talented American, who has been battling with injuries for much of the campaign, is finally on the move again and she reached the semi-finals in dramatic fashion.

Stephens saved three match-points before ousting Lucie Safarova 6-2 1-6 7-5 on Grandstand Court. "Last week, I was just hoping to win a match at some point and beat someone," said the 24-year-old after her big win.

"I would say I turned it around pretty quickly, so I can be proud of that. A lot of work to be done, but obviously, I'm just really happy to be back on the court at this point and winning matches and beating some good players.”

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