Top seeds Europe powered into the final of Hong Kong`s World Team Challenge, with world number one Caroline Wozniacki and her teammate Aravane Rezai notching straight-sets singles wins.
|Last Updated: Jan 06, 2011, 09:00 AM IST|Source: Bureau
Hong Kong: Top seeds Europe powered into the final of Hong Kong`s World Team Challenge, with world number one Caroline Wozniacki and her teammate Aravane Rezai notching straight-sets singles wins.
Danish sensation Wozniacki, 20, dispatched China`s top woman Li Na 6-4, 6-3 to help the Europeans to a 4-0 clean sweep in the semi-final clash with Asia-Pacific in the season-opening exhibition.
World number 19 Rezai had dismissed Hong Kong`s top-ranked player Zhang Ling 6-3, 6-0, as some of the biggest names in the women`s game warmed up for the season`s first Grand Slam, the Australian Open, starting on January 17.
"It was a great match and good preparation for the Australian Open," Wozniacki, who is playing with new racquet this year, said after her singles rubber.
Wozniacki and Li held serve in the close-fought early exchanges before the Dane broke the deadlock to take the first set 6-4.
The Chinese number one started the second set more consistently and appeared to have shaken off a tendency to commit unforced errors as she went 3-0 up.But Wozniacki demonstrated the kind of tenacity which saw her take her 12th WTA title in Beijing in October, turning the thumbscrews to win 6-3.
Wozniacki, runner-up at the 2009 US Open, will be highly fancied to do well with Serena Williams injured.
But with no Grand Slam wins to her name, bookmakers are likely to prefer three-time US Open champion Kim Clijsters for the Melbourne tournament, which starts on January 17.
"I have been playing great tennis last season," Wozniacki said. "I won six tournaments, I`ve beaten a lot of the top players and I feel like I deserve to be there."
The four-day Hong Kong curtain-raiser features four teams with three players each -- representing Russia, Europe, the Americas and Asia Pacific -- in singles and mixed doubles play.
Rezai, 23, of France, gave an erratic performance marked by six double faults and a series of unforced errors in the first set but a sublime second set display which saw her take the match 6-3, 6-0."It was the first match of the year and it`s very hard to come back from a long training and off-season," Rezai said, adding that her goals this year were to be more consistent and to break into the world`s top ten.
Sweden`s six-time Grand Slam singles champion Stefan Edberg beat Australian former Wimbledon finalist Mark Philippoussis by the narrowest of margins in a thrilling "legends" match -- tying at one set each before taking the tie-breaker 10-8.
In the last rubber Wozniacki and Edberg eased comfortably past Li and Philippoussis 6-3, 6-2 to complete the clean sweep.
Europe advance to the gold group final while Asia Pacific will play in the silver group final.
Bureau Report
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.