TENNIS WTA EASTBOURNE – Angelique Kerber turned her match around in order to defeat Caroline Wozniacki and reach the final of the AEGON International of Eastbourne, where she will face Madison Keys. From Eastbourne, Giulio Gasparin
The German had to come off with the best of her game to tame a very positive Wozniacki, who seemed to be back playing a good level of tennis after the recent problems with injuries and the split with Rory McIlroy.
Both players started by having chanced to break the other’s serve, but it was the Dane to first capitalise her chances and find the lead.
The former world number one looked very confident and her aggressive attitude paid off as she ran away with the first set 6-3, recovering from 0-40 in the last game thanks to four winners.
Wozniacki kept the pressure up by starting the second set taking a 2-0 lead and it seemed as if she could close the match with a second break for 3-0.
Kerber, who is renowned for her fighting spirit, found a fundamental hold, also thanks to a lucky net-cord, which gave her the confidence to be more aggressive.
The German steadily started to find the best of her game, while contemporary it looked as if the Dane was losing some of the early shine.
Suddenly it was Wozniacki who had to defend the most chances behind her serve, including a set point for Kerber in the 10th game.
It looked as if the former world number one would run away with the tiebreak when twice she found herself with a minibreak lead, but from 3-2 down, Kerber found some of her best points to fight back and seize the second set.
The first three games of the final sets were something hardly possible to describe: the quality of the tennis played by the two was of absolute level, both being aggressive and yet defending the impossible. The crowd was barely breathing between points, while the grunts of the players were getting louder.
After every winner the public exploded in a roar and applauded continuously until the next ball was about to be tossed.
The two players exchanged an early break, but from 2-2, it was clear that Kerber had more energy left and her forehand especially started to break the defence of Wozniacki, visibly tired.
The German flew 5-2 up, when the Danish champion reacted to find a break, but her comeback fell short, as little she could do in the next game to avoid being broken again and hence surrender.
For Kerber, it will be a chance to revenge the final she lost to Paszek two years ago, when she wasted match points.
It will not be easy for the her to win the first ever WTA title outdoors, mostly because her young opponent in the final seemed to mean business throughout the week and in her semifinal especially.
In little more than one hour, Keys gave another delusion to the English crowd after the football loss of the night before, as she demolished Heather Watson 6-3 6-1.
As the girl from Guernsey remarked later in the press conference, Keys “was just too good today.” Her serve was always hard and spot on and so were her groundstroke.
For the 19-year-old the biggest obstacle could be the tension for the first final in the main tour, against a player that more than surely will not give up easily.
