Wozniacki eager to exorcise memories of Li loss

MELBOURNE－Second-seeded Caroline Wozniacki says her 2011 Australian Open semifinal loss to China's Li Na still haunts her as she tries to go one better this year and end her Grand Slam drought.

The Dane held match points against Li on her only previous appearance in the last four at Melbourne Park.

"That's the one that really hurt," Wozniacki said after reaching the semifinals again on Wednesday with a three-set victory over Spain's gritty 39th-ranked Carla Suarez Navarro.

"I had match points against Li Na. I lost it. That's still haunting me till this day. So I'm hoping for a different result this time."

Wozniacki will face unseeded Belgian debutant Elise Mertens on Thursday for a place in Saturday's final－but she remembers her meltdown against Li like it happened yesterday.

"I remember serving for it at 5-4 in the second set. I remember being up 3-1 in the second set, serving with the sun," she recalled.

"That was very difficult. Maybe if I had been on the other side of the court, it would have been different.

"I remember very well that match. I usually forget matches and I don't remember playing certain people. I don't remember a lot of things, but that one is one that I remember very well."

Wozniacki was the top seed that year, having risen to No 1 in the world in 2010 and she said the defeat was crushing.

"I went back on the practice court. I never do that after going far in a tournament and losing after a tough battle," she said. "I usually take a day off the next day. I went back and practiced. Just needed to get some frustration out.

"That's one that really hurt. I've lost from match points up and won from match points down before. That one was a special one."

Li went on to lose that 2011 final to Kim Clijsters but three years later won her second Grand Slam in Melbourne.

Wozniacki is still without a major but is hopeful that could end this week.

She withstood a second-set blip against Suarez Navarro to win 6-0, 6-7 (3), 6-2 in a match that finished around 1:30 am local time and now faces world No 37 Mertens.

The Belgian is on a 10-match winning streak after capturing the Hobart International warmup event.

"She's had a very good start to the year," said Wozniacki. "I remember playing her in Bastad. She's a great player."

That encounter in July last year on clay is their only previous meeting. Wozniacki prevailed in three sets.

AFP