Caroline Wozniacki has a perfect 6-0 semi-final record this year and she managed to keep that going with a fantastic straight-set win over the current world number one Garbiñe Muguruza.
The defending champion looked shaky in her first few matches at the Toray Pan Pacific Open, but today she was anything but. An utterly dominant performance gave Wozniacki a 6-2 6-0 win in just over an hour. Muguruza, who had looked strong in her first tournament as world number one, looked completely out of sorts today. The Spaniard couldn't cope with the depth and variety of Wozniacki, and she struggled a lot on her second serve- winning just 19% of points.
Strong start for Wozniacki
Wozniacki opened the match with a tough service hold, saving an early break point opportunity for Muguruza. The Spaniard couldn't do the same in her first service game though; Wozniacki getting the first break of the match with a passing shot down the line.
Two fairly comfortable service games followed, with both players trying to find a rhythm in the match. After failing to take her break point in the first game, Muguruza made sure she took her second opportunity- punishing a weak second serve from Wozniacki to get back on serve. This turned out to be the Spaniard's last game on the board for the rest of the match.
From this point on the former world number one was domiant. Breaking back straightaway on a loose Muguruza forehand and a comfortable service hold in the next game put the Dane a game away from taking the first set. In the final game of the set, the Spaniard managed to save a set point with a strong forehand down the line. However, the Dane still had another opportunity at 30-40 which she took on a forehand error from Muguruza, giving her the first set 6-2 in 37 minutes.
Dominance continues in set 2
If you thought the first set was impressive from Wozniacki, the second was even better. A comfortable service hold to start the second set was followed by a stunning backhand pass on break point in Muguruza's service game, to keep momentum firmly with the Dane. The Spaniard had been struggling with her serve all match and this certainly didn't improve in the second set. Wozniacki managed to break at 0-40 in the fourth game after another error from Muguruza.
A couple of excellent backhands in a strong service hold put the Dane a game away from her seventh WTA final in 2017. The final game of the match gave Muguruza a game point to finally get herself on the board in the second set, however, the Spaniard was her own worst enemy again as another unforced error stopped her from converting. Wozniacki took the match on her first match point, a backhand error from Muguruza giving her the win in just over an hour- 6-2, 6-0.
Consistent Caroline
Caroline Wozniacki has now made seven WTA finals in 2017, a great achievement for someone who has been so consistent this year. However, she does have an unwanted record of being 0-6 in her finals so far so she will be hoping it is seventh time lucky.
The Dane will face Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the final, who edged past Angelique Kerber in a tough three-set match.