NEW HAVEN -- Second-seeded Caroline Wozniacki had already read all of the books that she brought with her on the trip. She instead spent time reading magazines, lying on a couch in the player's lounge and meeting with the Yale football team during its practice to bide her time.
Wozniacki arrived at the Connecticut Tennis Center around 9:30 a.m. Friday. With a steady rain falling throughout the day, there was no telling when or if she would compete in the semifinals of the Pilot Pen Tennis tournament. But rather than stress about her situation she relaxed.
Wozniacki did not truly start to focus on the match until about an hour before when she was told it would be moved to an indoor facility. And once it began she continued her surge with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over third-seeded and 10th-ranked Flavia Pennetta before approximately 300 fans at Yale's Cullman-Heyman Tennis Center.
"We were waiting around all day and it's always hard to wait," Wozniacki said. "So it was a pretty long day. But I'm happy that I won and that's the most important thing."
The start of the match was delayed for nearly 7 1/2 hours from its original noon start-time.
Wozniacki, the ninth-ranked player in the world, is trying to become the tournament's first repeat champion since Venus Williams won four straight from 1999-2002. She will face unseeded and 32nd-ranked Elena Vesnina, who defeated eighth-seeded and 18th-ranked Amelie Mauresmo 5-7, 6-1, 6-2 in the other semifinal
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match, in the final today at 1 p.m.
Wozniacki, who has not lost a set this week, is looking for her third singles title this year. "I really enjoy playing here so I'm really happy to be in the finals again," Wozniacki said. "We'll see (today) what's going to happen."
Wozniacki improved to 7-0 in the semifinals this year, with two wins over Pennetta. She also defeated Pennetta 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 in the semifinals in Bastad, Sweden, in early July in their only other meeting.
Pennetta had a tournament-high 11 aces through the first three matches. She had two Friday, but she managed to hold serve just twice as she was broken three times in each set.
Pennetta actually held serve to tie the first set 4-4. Wozniacki then rallied from deuce to regain the lead before breaking Pennetta again to close out the set.
Leading 2-1 in the second set, Wozniacki broke Pennetta and won out to clinch the match.
"I didn't serve very well," Pennetta said. "It's a little bit different playing indoor to outdoor. The ball was always like really near my head. I didn't jump at all. I think she played a good match. She was very focused and very aggressive from the beginning. I had my chance, but I didn't make it."
Heavy rain is in the forecast today, meaning Wozniacki could face a similar situation. She said she is hopeful that she again does not have to wait 10 hours to get on the court.
Vesnina will be looking for her first career singles title. "I just hope that it's going to be sunny (today) and we can play at 1 like it's scheduled," Wozniacki said. "If not then I just hope that they'll make a quick decision to let us know what's going to happen. But I know it's tough with the weather."
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