By Richard Pagliaro | Friday, June 29, 2018

 

Caroline Wozniacki fought off a match point rallying past Angelique Kerber, 2-6, 7-6 (4), 6-4, into her second straight Eastbourne final.

Photo credit: Bryn Lennon/Getty

Staring down match point, Caroline Wozniacki laid it on the line to spark a rousing comeback into her second straight Eastbourne final.

Driving the ball off the line, Wozniacki won a crackling 24-shot rally to deny match point and ignite a 2-6, 7-6 (4), 6-4, comeback triumph over Angelique Kerber.

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Playing her best tennis at crunch time, Wozniacki converted three of four break points and denied eight of the 12 break points she face withstanding 42 winners from the 2016 Wimbledon finalist.

"That was very tough," said Wozniacki after beating Kerber for the seventh time in 15 meetings. "On match point, I was little lucky I hit both lines. Somehow managed to get through. Sometimes you've just gotta do what you gotta do."

The 27-year-old Wozniacki will play for her 29th career title tomorrow

The top-seeded Dane will play 45th-ranked Aryna Sabalenka in tomorrow's final.

"She plays aggressive tennis," Wozniacki said of Sabalenka. "She tries to get on top from the start. So I need to be ready." 

Continuing her inspired run through the field in her Eastbourne debut, Sabalenka stopped Agnieszka Radwanska, 6-3, 1-6, 6-3, to advance to her third career final.

The 20-year-old Belarusian backed up her first career Top 10 victory over defending champion Karolina Pliskova with a one-hour, 55-minute triumph over 2008 champion Radwanska.

"I never played against her, and her game is really, really tough because she's a good runner," Sabalenka said of Radwanska. "She read the game, like touch player."

Wozniacki broke in Kerber's opening service game of the second set, eventually extending her second-set lead to 4-1.

Former world No. 1 Kerber stormed back to level. Deadlocked at 5-all, Wozniacki opened the court with a crosscourt backhand and had an open expanse of court down the line but missed her two-hander long as Kerber broke for 6-5. 

Serving for the final, Kerber was one good swing from closing, but Wozniacki refused to yield. In a riveting 24-shot rally, the Australian Open champion spun a forehand down the line that dotted both lines to deny match point.  

Kerber dragged a shot wide as Wozniacki broke sending the set into a tiebreak.

Twice running down Kerber drop shots, Wozniacki's quick first step and unerring consistency helpd her take the tiebreak to force the decider.