Caroline Wozniacki through to last four of WTA Finals

A rampant Caroline Wozniacki stunned world number one Simona Halep in straight sets as she stormed into the last four at the WTA Finals on Wednesday.

“It’s a great match for me to play and it’s another player who is moving well on court, giving few free points”. “I think that kind of motivates me to just start off strong and go for it”.

“There were so many ups-and-downs in this match, a little bit like the one we played in Beijing (where Garcia also won in three sets)”. “It was a battle on every single point, and I’m just happy to be through”. “I felt comfortable, played aggressive when I needed to and ran the balls down when I needed to”.

While Halep’s game was filled with errors, Wozniacki was the epitome of consistency as she continually applied pressure on her rival, the Dane racing to a second success of this year’s Finals in 63 minutes.

Caroline Garcia celebrates during her group stage match against Elina Svitolina in WTA Finals.

Czech star Karolína Plíšková is assured of a semi-final place after two wins, but she will aim to secure top spot when she plays Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko, with the French Open champion unable to advance after consecutive defeats. “I just have been feeling good and am playing at a high level”. Svitolina’s win over Garcia came two years ago, and it is fair to say that the Frenchwoman has come along in leaps and bounds in the last two years. As a result, she won five WTA titles, including three Premier 5 crowns. Halep looked downright terrible in her last match, winning just 29 percent of her return points and 44 percent of her total service points. “But this is not the most important thing for me at this time”.

Svitolina and Garcia’s match lasted more than twice as long as the one that preceded it and was the second dramatic encounter between the pair this month. It means Garcia, Svitolina and Halep will battle for the final semi-final position from the Red Group.

Fending off the tough challenge from the Romanian, Wozniacki maintained composed and kept her focus, calling for an on-court coaching session despite grabbing the bagel. “I didn?t handle it very well”, she told reporters after the match.