Wobbly Wozniacki beats Mertens to reach final

Two double faults enabled Mertens, in her first semi-final at this level on her Australian Open debut, to level at 5-5.



Serving to take it to a tiebreak at 5-6 Wozniacki then needed to save three sets points before sealing the match in the tiebreak.

MELBOURNE: Caroline Wozniacki is one match away from ending her Grand Slam title drought after overcoming a late wobble to beat unseeded Elise Mertens and reach the Australian Open final on Thursday.

The Danish world number two won 6-3, 7-6 (7/2) in 1hr 37min after almost allowing the world number 37 a way back when serving for the match at 5-4, and seemingly in complete control.



"It means so much to me," she said after reaching her maiden Australian Open final and her first Grand Slam decider since 2014, where she will play either top seed Simona Halep or the 2016 Melbourne Park champion Angelique Kerber on Saturday.


The 27-year-old rose to the top of the world rankings in 2010 but has only made the title match at a Grand Slam once since then, also at Flushing Meadows in 2014.



Mertens, in only her fifth Grand Slam appearance and Australian Open debut, signaled her intent to attack from the start, standing inside the baseline to receive Wozniacki's second serve.



It was a high-risk strategy and with Wozniacki repelling all the Belgian's aggressive overtures, the errors began to flow at regular intervals from Mertens' racket.



Serving at 1-3, 15-40, a netted forehand, her fifth unforced error on that wing, gave the Dane, back in a semi-final at Melbourne for the first time since 2011, the first break.