Melbourne: Simona Halep has advanced to her first Australian Open final after saving two match points and rallying to defeat Angelique Kerber 3-6, 6-4, 9-7 and set up a final against Caroline Wozniacki.
Both women had their chances to put the match away in the 68-minute-long third set.
Halep was serving for the match at 5-3, but was broken after Kerber ended a 26-stroke rally with a backhand winner that just clipped the line. The German player then fell to her knees and put her forehead on the court in exhaustion.
Halep had two match points in the next game, but Kerber saved the first with a backhand down the line and the second when Halep hit into the net.
After Kerber broke to take a 6-5 lead, she then had two match points of her own, but Halep saved them both and then broke back to level the match at 6-all.
Serving at 7-8, Kerber saved a third match point before Halep finally converted on the fourth when the German sent a ball long.
Halep said after the match, “Definitely was very tough. I’m shaking now, I’m really emotional because I could win this match.”
Wozniacki came through a late bout of nerves to reach the final for the first time with a 6-3, 7-6 victory over Belgian Elise Mertens, giving herself another shot at winning a maiden Grand Slam title.
The Dane had dominated her second Melbourne Park semi-final until she was 5-4, 30-0 up and serving for the match but suddenly faltered with a pair of double faults to allow her 22-year-old opponent back into the contest.
Mertens, playing only her fifth grand slam, took full advantage and, unleashing a string of winners, broke the former world No. 1 and racked up two set points.
Unlike in her 2011 semi-final against Li Na, when she blew a match point, Wozniacki was able to recover her composure and saved them both on the back of a couple of booming serves.
After four deuces, the 27-year-old held with a thumping forehand, then raced away with the ensuing tiebreak to seal a title-decider against either Simona Halep or Angelique Kerber.
“I got really tired at 5-4,” she said on court. “After the two first good serves, I thought, ‘Calm down, it’s all good’, then it kind of wasn’t good any more.
“I felt like my legs were shaking a little bit. I was like OK ‘This is not normal, I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do now’, I just took a few deep breaths and once she had set point, I said, ‘Well, I guess it is the third set. I guess now you just need to go for it’.
“(The 2011 match) was definitely on my mind out there today — Li Na. I tried to stay calm and I was lucky to get a win.”
