OSAKA, Japan - Samantha Stosur will have another shot at her first Sony Ericsson WTA Tour singles title after beating Caroline Wozniacki in the semifinals of the $220,000 HP Open on Saturday afternoon.
Stosur, the No.3 seed at the International-level tournament, won the first eight games against the top-seeded Wozniacki before the world No.6 staged what would have been a phenomenal comeback, taking the second set and hanging tough in the third before succumbing to the attacking Australian, 60 46 64.
"I played very well in the first set and barely made a mistake - I was still playing well in the second and nearly led 4-1 but she got back into the match," Stosur said. "I just told myself not to panic, keep doing the same things as I did in the first set and stay positive. I tried to do what I wanted to do and not let anything frustrate me. Obviously I'm pleased to bring it back and close it out."
"It was a tough match. She started very well and I just couldn't do anything," Wozniacki said. "I got the momentum in the second set and turned it around, but I just didn't take my chances in the third. We've had tough matches in the past and we're both improving, so it was a 50-50 match."
Awaiting Stosur in the final will be Francesca Schiavone, who stormed into the final in the first match of the day, dispatching good friend Sania Mirza in straight sets, 62 61. Schiavone, the No.4 seed, took less than an hour to defeat the unseeded Mirza, breaking serve four times and never facing a break point herself during the 59-minute victory, her third in their three career meetings.
"I served well and was aggressive right to the end," Schiavone said. "As I didn't have a match yesterday, I spent the afternoon walking the city and everywhere I saw new things. I enjoy learning things about the culture here. I went to karaoke and then a nice meal. The people here are really nice."
Mirza, a former Top 30 player who currently weighs in at No.61, had taken out No.5 seed Shahar Peer and No.2 seed Marion Bartoli. She was seeking her second final of the year, having been runner-up at Pattaya City in February.
Although both have plenty of doubles titles on the Tour, Stosur and Schiavone have almost always come up short in singles finals. Combined they are 1-14 - Stosur is 0-5, Schiavone 1-9. Schiavone's title came at Bad Gastein in 2007.
Stosur is 3-1 lifetime against Schiavone, losing their first meeting but winning their last three, all in straight sets. Two of those matches came this year, the Australian winning 61 64 at Indian Wells and 64 62 at the French Open.
"I hope to do better than in our last few matches," Schiavone added. "I will have to play well and fight a lot. You have to find a good feeling to win in the final."
"Francesca hits with a lot of spin and plays aggressively," Stosur said. "It would be nice to win a singles title but I won't be thinking about that or previous finals - I'll just concentrate on playing well and trying to enjoy it."
