Caroline Wozniacki to face Karolina Pliskova in Qatar final

18 February 2017 01:31

Caroline Wozniacki and second seed Karolina Pliskova will go head-to-head in the Qatar Total Open final after each registered both last-eight and semi-final wins in Doha on Friday.

The quarter-finals of the rain-affected tournament were completed as Wozniacki beat Lauren Davis 7-5 6-1, Pliskova defeated Shuai Zhang 6-2 6-0 and Monica Puig wrapped up a 4-6 7-5 6-4 victory over Daria Kasatkina.

Wozniacki then eased past Olympic gold-medallist Puig 6-1 6-2, while Pliskova's semi-final saw her battle to a 6-4 4-6 6-3 triumph against third seed Dominika Cibulkova.

Former world number one Wozniacki is returning to a final she also featured in six years ago.

And when that was put to her during her on-court interview after her win against Puig, the 26-year-old, quoted on wtatennis.com, said: "It sounds amazing, but also makes me feel a little old.

"It's been a great week, really tough conditions with all the waiting, but I managed to keep focus and play some of my best tennis out there.

"She (Pliskova) is playing really well, serving really well. It's going to be a great final and I'm excited for it."

Pliskova, the world number five who reached the US Open final last year, said after beating Cibulkova: "I'm really excited, especially after what a long, tough day it's been.

"Having two wins today is amazing, and I just beat Domi for the first time in my life. It was tough conditions, and so I don't think it was the best tennis out there. But it's a win, so it counts."

Source: PA