By Chris Oddo | Friday, February 20th, 2015

 

Simona Halep rallied from a set down against Caroline Wozniacki to set up a final clash with Karolina Pliskova in Dubai.

Photo Source: Francois Nel/Getty

Simona Halep will meet Karolina Pliskova in the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships final on Saturday, after storming back to win 12 of the final 14 games against Caroline Wozniacki in Friday’s second semifinal.

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“I feel amazing now,” said Halep after her second career win over the Dane. “I’m really happy that I can play tomorrow in the final. With this crowd it’s amazing. I cannot lose with you.”

Halep found herself behind a set after Wozniacki came out swinging for the fences in the opener. But the Romanian rallied from the onset of the second set while the Dane’s game fell by the wayside.

Wozniacki, who produced a squeaky clean first set that featured only four unforced errors, committed 22 in the final two sets, winning only 3 of 15 service points in the final set, and winning only 2 of 14 second serve points in the final two sets.

Halep, who has now secured back-to-back wins, will have different challenge entirely on Saturday when she faces the WTA’s ace leader in Pliskova.

“Will be a big challenge for me to win the title,” Halep said. “She’s a strong player, she serves very well.”

Pliskova needed to serve well to take down Garbine Muguruza in Friday’s first semifinal in Dubai. The pair of rising stars battled for nearly three hours in a tense, back-and-forth struggle that featured 28 break points but only three breaks of serve.

Pliskova, who is playing at a career-high ranking this week, reached her second final of 2015, and could move as high as No. 11 in the world by winning the title in Dubai.

After splitting the first two sets with Muguruza, the pair of hard-hitting youngsters would also trade break points in the decider until Pliskova finally broke through in the 11th game when Muguruza threw in an uncharacteristic clunker of a game to be broken at love.

Pliskova immediately fell behind 0-40 while serving for the match, but she saved all three break points, the third on a remarkable backhand snag of a scorched Muguruza return that took the Spaniard off guard, and eventually closed the victory in two hours and 54 minutes.

Despite the loss, Muguruza is set to reach a career-high ranking of 18 for her efforts in Dubai, which saw her upset Agnieszka Radwanska en route to the semis.

Halep could rise to No. 3 in the world with a title in Dubai.