The Latest: Wozniacki reaches 1st Australian Open final

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — The Latest on Thursday at the Australian Open (all times local):

4 p.m.

Caroline Wozniacki has advanced to her first Australian Open final, beating Elise Mertens 6-3, 7-6 (2) in the first women's semifinal 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 tiebreaker.

Wozniacki said she started thinking about her Australian Open semifinal 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."

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2:45 p.m.

Caroline Wozniacki has won the first set 6-3 against Elise Mertens in the first of the women's semifinals at the Australian Open.

Wozniacki is bidding to make her first Australian Open final and the third major final in her career. She's a two-time runner-up at the U.S. Open, but has yet to win a Grand Slam title.

The Danish player would also move a step closer to regaining the No. 1 ranking if she reaches the final. It's been six years since she last held the top spot and it would be the longest gap between stints at No. 1 since the rankings were introduced in 1975.

Mertens, who trains at the Kim Clijsters Academy in Belgium, is aiming to reach the final of a Grand Slam in just her fifth appearance at a major. Only five women have made a major final in fewer appearances.

No. 1-ranked Simona Halep takes on two-time major winner Angelique Kerber in the second semifinal.

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