A revitalised Angelique Kerber stands as a huge roadblock to the maiden grand slam hopes of world number one Simona Halep and number two Caroline Wozniacki at the Australian Open women’s semi-finals at the Rod Laver Arena on Thursday.
Halep dropped only five games in her last eight clash against Karolina Pliskova on Wednesday to set up a meeting against Kerber, who swept away Madison Keys 6-1, 6-2 to continue her stellar run in 2018.
Former world number one Wozniacki is the second seed in Melbourne and the 27-year-old Dane will be a strong favourite to reach the final against young Belgian Elise Mertens, who she beat in three sets in their only previous meeting.
Wozniacki, whose last semi-final appearance at a grand slam was at the 2016 US Open, beat Carla Suarez Navarro 6-0, 6-7(3), 6-2 in her quarter-final to remain on course for her first major title.
In the men’s section, former US Open champion Marin Cilic will meet an unlikely opponent in Yorkshire man Kyle Edmund for a place in the final.
The unseeded Briton shocked third seed Grigor Dimitrov 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the quarter-finals while number six seed Cilic went through when injured world number one Rafa Nadal abandoned his match while trailing 3-6, 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-2, 2-0.
It has been quite a return to form for Kerber in Australia this year after she broke a 27-tournament title drought going back to her 2016 US Open triumph in the Sydney International warm-up and she has been flawless in the new year.
Kerber, who turned 30 last week, enjoyed a bumper 2016, winning the Australian and U.S. Opens, picking up an Olympic silver medal and becoming the first German number one since Steffi Graf.
But her form deserted her last year when she failed to win back-to-back matches at 13 events and made just one final, at Monterrey, to finish the year at number 22.
”I mean, it feels the same,“ said Kerber, who is now guaranteed a return to top 10 in rankings. ”I‘m the same person like I was also last year.
“The years before, here, nothing (has) changed. I think the only thing has changed is that I learned a lot, a lot of experience from last year. From the years before, as well. Not only from 2016. Also 2014 and 2015.”
Wozniacki was top seed and world number one on her previous visit to the last four at Melbourne Park seven years ago when she blew a match point in the second set and went on to lose to China’s Li Na.
On the flip side, the Dane saved two match points and battled back from 5-1 down in the deciding set to beat Jana Fett in the second round this year.
Wozniacki has displayed a new brand of ruthless tennis when she battled to a maiden WTA Finals title last October in Singapore.
Her semi-final opponent Mertens has also had a stellar year and the 22-year-old, who became the first Belgian woman to make the semi-finals in Melbourne since her mentor Kim Clijsters in 2012, thrashed fourth seed Elina Svitolina 6-4, 6-0 in the quarter-finals to show she is no pushover.
With inputs from Reuters
Published Date: Jan 25, 2018 07:57 AM | Updated Date: Jan 25, 2018 12:21 PM
Highlights
Angelique Kerber snatches the second set from 1-3 down. It's 6-3, 4-6 after an hour and 13 minutes.
We are headed to a decider.
Simona Halep wins the first set against Angelique Kerber 6-3 in just 25 minutes.
Halep won the first five games, Kerber then won three on the trot before Halep finally clinched the opener. Very topsy-turvy start to the match.
Kerber and Halep have played eight times before and it's split 4-4 between them.
Halep leads the head-to-head on hard courts 4-2.
Time to shift our focus to the second women's semi-final!
2016 champion Angelique Kerber takes on the top seed Simona Halep.
Ranking update:
If Simona Halep loses in the semi-final to Angelique Kerber, Caroline Wozniacki will be assured of the No 1 ranking on Monday.
If Halep wins, the Australian Open champion will walk away with the World No 1 ranking.
Caroline Wozniacki defeats Elise Mertens 6-3, 7-6(2) in an hour and 40 minutes to make her first Australian Open final.
The second seed now awaits the winner of Simona Halep and Angelique Kerber.
Wozniacki holds at love to take the opening set 6-3 in 38 minutes.
That was the perfect service game from the Dane as she quickly seals the first set. She's been in control of this match so far.
Head-to-head:
Wozniacki leads the record 1-0. She defeated Mertens 7-5, 4-6, 6-2 on the clay at Bastad in 2017.
12:21 (IST)
Eben though Kerber held in the previous game, she looks knackered. Advantage, Halep.
12:19 (IST)
Kerber holds for 2-2
Halep hits an incredible backhand down the line winner on the run. 0-15.
Forehand error from Kerber and it's 0-30. Halep can't make a routine backhand return and then hits a forehand wide. 30-30.
Halep overcooks her forehand after engaging in a long rally to let Kerber off the hook. Another forehand into the net from Halep and Kerber escapes with a hold.
12:16 (IST)
An exchange of breaks to start off the 3rd set. 1-1.
Difficult to tell who has the advantage here. Halep seems to have lost a little bit of confidence while Kerber is showing signs of fatigue.
Who do you think will win the 3rd set?
12:14 (IST)
Kerber's numbers don't reveal much but she made the most of her opportunities
12:09 (IST)
Angelique Kerber snatches the second set from 1-3 down. It's 6-3, 4-6 after an hour and 13 minutes.
We are headed to a decider.
12:07 (IST)
Kerber breaks for 5-4 and then holds to level the match!
What a swing in momentum in the last 20 minutes of this semi-final. Kerber comes up on top by being the steadier player as Halep loses her head and the set.
12:00 (IST)
HUGE hold from Kerber for 4-4 after saving two break points
A game full of drama goes Kerber's way after Hawk-Eye comes to her rescue on BREAK POINT -- she challenged a forehand down the line and it was just in. DEUCE.
Halep launches a return right back at the feet of Kerber and she can't deal with it. DEUCE again. An error from the Romanian makes it advantage Kerber.
What a point by Kerber as she chases down a short Halep slice and fires it back up the line for a winner. She saves two break points and levels for 4-4.
11:53 (IST)
Tremendous performance from Halep
Halep is still the one attacking and controlling points while Kerber is doing just about enough to hang with her.
Kerber has been put on the run so often by Halep's forehand, it's incredible.
Neither player has played their best at the same time in this match -- one player peaks, the other recedes. And vice-versa.
11:49 (IST)
Two straight service holds in the second set and it's 4-3
11:43 (IST)
Kerber breaks right back. 2-3.
Halep gets a bit impatient at 30-30 to spray a forehand wide. Kerber then plays an excellent point to wrong foot Halep and she gets the break.
Very important game from Kerber. The German is still misfiring but she’s definitely finding some extra pop behind her groundstrokes.
11:41 (IST)
Halep breaks first in the second set and leads 3-1.
The World No 1 continues her brilliant level from the first set and brings up 0-30 on Kerber's serve. The German is in trouble again as her forehand lets her down.
Kerber fires a forehand deep cross court to draw the error from Halep and then Halep nets a return. 30-30.
Another forehand error from Kerber and it's break point Halep - but again she can't make the return. DEUCE.
Kerber's forehand is a mess again and it's BREAK POINT for Halep.
The Romanain pushes Kerber back with a flurry of forehands and eventually gets the error!
11:31 (IST)
Both Kerber and Halep are unbeaten in 2018
Halep won Shenzhen in the opening week while Kerber won Sydney. Kerber also did not lose a match at the Hopman Cup, which makes it 14 straight wins for the German.
11:29 (IST)
Taka a look at the stats from the rollercoaster set 1
11:27 (IST)
What a blazing start from the World No 1!
11:26 (IST)
Simona Halep wins the first set against Angelique Kerber 6-3 in just 25 minutes.
Halep won the first five games, Kerber then won three on the trot before Halep finally clinched the opener. Very topsy-turvy start to the match.
11:24 (IST)
Halep breaks and seals the opening set 6-3
Kerber fell behind 0-40 while serving at 3-5. She saves the first set point with a backhand winner down the line but commits yet another unforced error at 15-40 and the set is in Halep's bag.
11:21 (IST)
Kerber holds and then breaks again for 3-5
Complete 180 in Halep's play; Kerber has now won 12 of the last 13 points.
Kerber is slowly finding her way back in this match but Halep still leads by a break.
11:14 (IST)
Kerber breaks for 1-5
Halep serving for the first set but she throws in two double faults!
Kerber wins the next point to bring up three break points. She whips a forehand passing shot around the world No1 to get on the board.
11:05 (IST)
Halep breaks for a third time for 5-0
Kerber did well to fight off two break points after falling behind 0-40 but Halep converted on the third break point after a long rally. Halep doing an excellent job of moving Kerber around the court and controlling points with her aggressive hitting.
Kerber looking a bit lost at the moment. She needs to find her form quickly! Halep to serve for the first set.
11:00 (IST)
Kerber and Halep have played eight times before and it's split 4-4 between them.
Halep leads the head-to-head on hard courts 4-2.
11:00 (IST)
Simona Halep has raced to a 3-0 lead in the opening set with a double break.
Very nervy start from Kerber - her shoulders look tense, and she is hitting too many unforced errors.
10:57 (IST)
Time to shift our focus to the second women's semi-final!
2016 champion Angelique Kerber takes on the top seed Simona Halep.
10:49 (IST)
Elise Mertens' stunning run comes to an end
Before we move on to the second semi-final between Kerber and Halep, let's appreciate what a great tournament it's been for 22-year-old Elise Mertens on her Australian Open debut.
It's been an incredible last 12 months for Mertens, who will make her top 20 debut on Monday. She was #127 at the start of 2017.
10:47 (IST)
Ranking update:
If Simona Halep loses in the semi-final to Angelique Kerber, Caroline Wozniacki will be assured of the No 1 ranking on Monday.
If Halep wins, the Australian Open champion will walk away with the World No 1 ranking.
10:41 (IST)
Watch Wozniacki's on-court interview following her win
She admits the 2011 semi-final was on her mind as she served for the match.
10:39 (IST)
Caroline Wozniacki has advanced to her first Australian Open final
The second seed beat Elise Mertens 6-3, 7-6 (2) in the first women's semi-final on Thursday.
Wozniacki was steadier than her 22-year-old opponent for much of the match, though she had her own wobbles toward the end. Wozniacki double-faulted twice while serving for the match at 5-4, allowing Mertens to break serve and level the score at 5-all.
Wozniacki settled her nerves, however, and fought off two set points before closing it out on her first match point in the tie-breaker.
Wozniacki said she started thinking about her Australian Open semi-final loss to Li Na in 2011 when she wasted a match point. Then she tried to put it out of her mind.
She said, "I just tried to stay calm and I was lucky to get the win."
10:37 (IST)
Take a look at the final stats from Wozniacki's victory. Impressive service numbers.
10:31 (IST)
Wozniacki's reaction after she clinched the win
10:31 (IST)
Wozniacki had to overcome a late hiccup in the second set but she persisted in the tie-break to win!
10:29 (IST)
Caroline Wozniacki defeats Elise Mertens 6-3, 7-6(2) in an hour and 40 minutes to make her first Australian Open final.
The second seed now awaits the winner of Simona Halep and Angelique Kerber.
10:26 (IST)
Wozniacki is through to her third Grand Slam final.
10:24 (IST)
Wozniacki wins the tie-break 7-2.
Mertens attempts to attack Wozniacki's serve but she can't get in postilion and sends her return well wide.
Wozniacki cracks a forehand down the line after a well-constructed point to make it 6-2 and bring up FOUR MATCH POINTS.
Mertens hits yet another backhand into the net and Wozniacki wins.
10:21 (IST)
Tie-break time!
Mertens drops the first point after hitting yet another forehand into the net. First mini-break goes Wozniacki's way. 1-0.
Two great serve from the second seed makes it 3-0.
Wozniacki allowed Mertens back into the second set but the 22-year-old hasn't really stepped up to grab her chance. She blitzes a forehand winner and then smashes an overhead to make it 2-3.
Mertens can;t make a simple backhand - it finds the net - and it's 4-2 in Wozniacki's favour as they change ends.
10:18 (IST)
Wozniacki holds for 6-6 to force a tie-break!
Mertens is in all out attack mode now! She wins the first two points with clean winners. 0-30.
The Belgian sends a backhand long but that's followed by a Wozniacki error and it's two SET POINTS for Mertens.
Some brave tennis from Wozniacki - a second serve hit out wide and a forehand winner - help her save both the set points.
Another double fault from Wozniacki on game point brings the game back to DEUCE. She wins the next point at the net after volleying into the open court. Game point once again.
Mertens fores a forehand return winner down the line to make it DEUCE once again. But she overcooks her forehand and Wozniacki has another chance to hold.
Terrible return that sails well long from the Dane makes it DEUCE. Solid serve and she has game point. This game has seen so many shifts in momentum.
Wozniacki finally holds with an inside-out forehand winner! It's tie-break time.
10:10 (IST)
Mertens holds for love and she leads 6-5!
Wozniacki has lost eight straight points and, from serving for the final, she now trails 5-6.
A reminder - back in 2011 in the Australian Open semi-final against Li Na, Woznaicki had a match point in the second set. She eventually lost the match in three sets.
Was that playing in the back of her mind when she served for the match? Mertens is swinging freely now and has a great chance of finding her way back in this match.
10:05 (IST)
Mertens breaks to stay alive in this match! It's back on serve in the second set at 5-5.
Wozniacki starts off with her 7th ace of the match - this one hit out wide and Mertens had no chance of reaching it. 15-0.
Another BIG serve - down the T - and it's 30-0.
Wozniacki hits a forehand return wide and it's 30-15.
She double faults on the next point. 30-30.
Mertens ends a long rally on the next point with a forehand passing winner. Wozniacki's approach to come to the net was quite poor and she was rightly punished. BREAK POINT for Mertens. 30-40.
Wozniacki double faults again and she is broken!
10:01 (IST)
After two quick holds, Wozniacki will now serve for a place in the final at 5-4.
Can Mertens find a way to break her serve and extend this match?
09:59 (IST)
Quite an underwhelming performance from 22-year-old Mertens. She just hasn't found any rhythm on her groundstrokes and has committed too many unforced errors. She holds for 3-4.
09:56 (IST)
Wozniacki consolidates with a perfect game! 4-2.
The second seed holds at love and she is just two games away from her maiden Australian Open final.
Wozniacki also has a chance to take over as the World No 1 if she wins today.
09:50 (IST)
It's all going the Dane's way!
09:50 (IST)
Mertens broken, she trails 2-3.
A routine forehand into the net and it's BREAK POINT for Wozniacki. She nets a backhand on the next point to get broken.
Wozniacki has just been too good on all the crucial points in this match. Barely any unforced errors.
09:45 (IST)
Wozniacki makes it 2-2.
09:42 (IST)
Two holds exchanged between both players and we are at 2-1.
Still quite passive from Mertens and her forehand isn't firing the way she'd like it to. Wozniacki, on the other hand, has been impeccable on her serve.
09:37 (IST)
Mertens saves two break points and holds for 1-0 to start off the second set.
That was a very crucial hold for the Belgian. She cannot afford to fall behind in this second set.
Mertens saves one with a nice serve out wide followed by a backhand winner. She saves the second with swerving serve down the tee. DEUCE.
Another solid serve from Mertens and Wozniacki can't keep her return in play. Mertens comes up with her fourth first serve and wins the point to hold.
09:33 (IST)
Wozniacki is looking to make her first Australian Open final. She's halfway there.
09:32 (IST)
Take a look a the first set stats. 13 winners and just six unforced errors from Wozniacki. Very clean set.
09:31 (IST)
Wozniacki holds at love to take the opening set 6-3 in 38 minutes.
That was the perfect service game from the Dane as she quickly seals the first set. She's been in control of this match so far.
09:22 (IST)
Mertens holds for 3-5.
Mertens serving to stay alive in the opening set. She had 40-15 on her serve but a backhand winner from Wozniacki and her third double fault of the match makes it deuce.
She comes in to the net behind a deep return on the next point, and Wozniacki can't keep the ball in play. Advantage Mertens.
A wild forehand and a botched volley from Mertens on the next two points brings up SET POINT for Wozniacki.
She saves it with a decent serve down the middle that Wozniacki returns long. DEUCE.
Mertens fires her second ace of the match - down the T - and it's advantage Mertens.
Another service winner from Mertens and she holds! Good job under a lot of pressure.
09:18 (IST)
Quick hold from Wozniacki and she is just a game away from taking the first set. 5-2.
The second seed has been very impressive from the word go. Hitting clean winners and serving well.
She's hit 10 winners (3 aces) to 5 unforced errors in the match so far.
09:16 (IST)
Mertens holds to make it 2-4.
The Belgian is finally playing with some confidence and freedom. She is taking the ball early and strikes through the ball for a winner.
Wozniacki comes up with a glorious backhand down the line winner in the game but Mertens holds by finishing off a nice baseline exchange at the net.