Konta Knocks Out Venus, To Meet Wozniacki For First Miami Title Saturday

A new champion will be named Saturday in Miami when former No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki battles Brit Johanna Konta for the second Premier Mandatory title of the 2017 WTA season.

In her semifinal, Wozniacki came from a set down to crush fellow US Open finalist Karolina Pliskova 5-7, 6-1, 6-1.

It’s Wozniacki’s first Miami final and she ran away with the match winning 12 of the last 14 games.

“It’s definitely special,” said Wozniacki who also had set points in the first. “I’ve made a few finals in Indian Wells and I’ve won it once. This is one of the few tournaments where I’ve never made a finals. I think my best result was semifinals like five years ago. You know, it’s always been a tournament where I wouldn’t say I’ve struggled, but just not had the results that I’ve wanted to.”

Pliskova falls for the second straight Mandatory event after Indian Wells in the semifinals.

“I felt after the first set, I just put everything in the first set so it was really difficult to play the rallies with her,” Pliskova assessed in defeat. “It was the best match she played against me so far.

“She played really well, not missing much, all my balls she put back even deep, so it was hard to play aggressive.”

In the final, Wozniacki will meet Konta who outlasted Venus Williams in a bruising 6-4, 7-5 victory. Venus, a 3-time champion, had chances to force a second set breaker after preventing Konta taking the match serving 5-4. But it was too late.

“I think there was so little, it could go either way, so I’m just very pleased that I was able to really capitalize on a few more opportunities than her,” Konta told press after the match. “Every time I get to play Venus I always look forward to the battle.

“She’s also been playing such a high level so far this year. I think she’s very fit, and so I had no doubt that she was going to be there until the very, very end.”

Konta beat Wozniacki earlier this year at the Australian Open 6-3, 6-1.

“I’m definitely going to be looking forward to playing a lot of balls and a lot of tough points,” she said. “She’s one of the best athletes in the game. She ran a marathon for goodness sake. I’m sure it’ll be a match where I’ll be running for a lot of balls. Hopefully we’ll give a great match for the final.”

No Brit or Dane has ever won the Miami women’s singles event.

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