This Weekend's Matches
| Bangkok, Thailand | Semifinal: Rafael Nadal vs. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez |
| Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | Semifinal: Andrey Golubev vs. David Ferrer |
| Tokyo, Japan | Final: Caroline Wozniacki vs. Elena Dementieva |
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| Dementieva has navigated through a difficult draw to reach the Tokyo final. (Koji Watanabe/Getty Images) |
Number One with a Bullet
No matter how Caroline Wozniacki gets to No. 1, she?ll have to answer questions about whether she deserves to be there. With Serena Williams largely in hibernation, the Dane has won four titles in 2010, but that won?t matter to the press, who will gleefully remind Wozniacki that she lacks a Grand Slam title to go with new position. The honeymoon phase of her still-young career is about to end.
Wozniacki can do herself a huge favor by winning tomorrow?s Tokyo final. A title wouldn?t secure the top ranking?that will likely come next week, in Beijing?nor would it convince the doubters. But if there?s a fate more unforgiving than becoming No. 1 without a Slam, it?s backing your way into the top slot.
It will be a tough ask. Wozniacki?s opponent, Elena Dementieva, has played fantastic tennis this week, beating Yaroslava Shvedova, Flavia Pennetta, Vera Zvonareva and Francesca Schiavone, all in straight sets. The Russian hits harder from the baseline than Wozniacki. While the edge in consistency goes to her opponent, Dementieva has more point-ending capabilities.
As is the case with many WTA matches, serving will play a large role in the outcome. Both players are excellent returners, so second serves will be as significant as first strikes. Here, the advantage goes Wozniacki?s way?Dementieva has come a long way from her yip-filled past, but the Dane has a more reliable first and second serve.
You wouldn?t have known that if you saw the third set of Wozniacki?s last match, a semifinal win over Victoria Azarenka. Serving for the match at 5-0, Wozniacki dropped the next four games, though she managed to serve it out on her last chance. She?s played well this week, but you wonder if all the pressure, self-imposed and otherwise, has started to creep into her mind. As she?ll surely be told, it looks like it did at the majors this year.
Dementieva and Wozniacki have played six times and each has won three matches. Not much separates them, but I?m thinking the Russian is a little sharper at the moment. That might be enough to keep some of those down-the-line forehands in play.
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