ISTANBUL, (Reuters) – A weary Caroline Wozniacki was sent packing from the WTA Championships after losing 6-4 6-2 to powerful Czech Petra Kvitova in her final round-robin match yesterday.
The day after the Dane secured the year-end world number one ranking, she looked mentally and physically drained as Wimbledon champion Kvitova marched into the semi-finals with a match to spare in the Red Group.
Wozniacki, who has racked up 80 matches on the tour this year, needed to have her blood pressure checked after the first set and said after that she had nothing left in the tank. Kvitova was joined in the last four of the season-ending event by Belarussian Victoria Azarenka who trounced China’s Li Na 6-2 6-2 to guarantee a top-two place in the White Group, also with a match remaining.
Russian Vera Zvonareva blew her chance to secure a semi-final berth when she was ambushed by Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska, squandering three match points in a 1-6 6-2 7-5 defeat that had the 11,000 crowd on the edge of their seats.
Needing a victory to go through from the Red Group, Zvonareva led 5-3 in the decider before Radwanska staged a thrilling fightback in the most entertaining set of the tournament. Zvonareva must now hope Kvitova beats Radwanska in straight sets on Friday. Any other result would see the Pole progress.
After two long three-setters in two days, a win against close friend Radwanska and a defeat by Zvonareva, Wozniacki proved no match for world number three Kvitova.
Having lost the first set the Dane quickly went 4-0 behind in the second and at one point almost missed the ball altogether on a first serve — the ball spinning embarrassingly off her racket and bouncing mid-court.
Some late resistance proved in vain.
“Petra played well,” said Wozniacki who will end a second consecutive year as number one despite failing to win a maiden grand slam.
