Guangzhou & Seoul: Laura's continuous rise

Guangzhou:

Laura Robson def. Sorana Cirstea 6-4 6-2
Hsieh Su-Wei def. Urszula Radwanska 6-1 3-6 6-0

Seoul:

Caroline Wozniacki def. Klara Zakopalova 6-2 6-3
Ekaterina Makarova def. 6-1 6-1
Kaia Kanepi def. Kiki Bertens 6-4 6-4
Varvara Lepchenko def. Tamira Pazsek 4-6 7-6(3) 6-4

Laura Robson def. Sorana Cirstea 6-4 6-2

Laura continues her meteoric rise up the rankings by advancing to her first WTA final. She led comfortably in both sets at 5-1 but didn't serve both sets out. Nevertheless, she got the job done and the better player won. Cirstea as usual is her brainless self, so not surprise here. When Sorana faces someone who can keep up the pace with her, she goes for more pace, which results in hideous errors which a club player is mostly to commit. Robson will have a great chance to clinch her first title tomorrow against Hsieh.

Hsieh Su-Wei def. Urzsula Radwanska 6-1 3-6 6-0

With the exception of the second set, Hsieh was untouchable in the match. She was just ripping winners easily from both sides and creating wicked angles on court. Why can't the Taiwanese play like this throughout her career? The lesser Radwanska adds more points to her tally but I really don't think she deserves to be there. Smart scheduling and the luck of the draw gave her the advantage. However, players like Hsieh are languishing in the bottom 50. I wonder which tournament will the lesser Radwanska vulture next.

Varvara Lepchenko def. Tamira Pazsek 4-6 7-6(3) 6-4

Given that this is not grass, I feel that Tamira has already given a very good account of herself here. Lepchenko is going to enter the top 20 unless Makarova does better than her in this tournament. Nice to see her getting her career high ranking after so many years of hard work. It would have been an easier match if Lepchenko converted more of her break points. Anyway, Lepchenko will face Kaia Kanepi next for her first final on the main tour. Can she continue her march towards top 20?

Caroline Wozniacki def. Klara Zakopalova 6-2 6-3

More signs that Caroline Wozniacki is back; she takes out ball basher Klara Zakopalova out easily. She could have closed it out at 5-1 but eventually got the job done. Klara was her normal non-chalant and sulky self, so no surprise she couldn't find it in her to beat Caroline even though she had the game. Caroline's statistics looks good and I do think this is her title to lose. She will face Makarova next who she has never lost to before. Looks like another easy day out for Wozniacki