The final from the WTA Finals in Singapore will feature a rematch between the world number one, Serena Williams and the world number four, Simona Halep.  I will be previewing the ATP event in Paris next week over Sofia so this will be MY LAST WTA PREVIEW OF 2014… tissues at the ready! Serena reached the final after beating Caroline Wozniacki in a magnificent semi-final, 2-6 6-3 7-6(6).  The third set was without doubt, one of the best sets of tennis I have watched all year on the WTA tour.  For the first set and a half, Wozniacki was in control of this match; she was dictating play, taking chances and  generally putting pressure on Serena and making her feel uncomfortable.  Serena was well below her best as she consistently struck the net, particularly on the backhand side.

And if you like racquet smashes, this was a pretty good one from Serena…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9osRDWZ7Ac

Video by MrPieritoTennis

Serena was getting 80% of first serves in during the first set, but it was her groundstrokes that really let her down.  She hung with Caroline during the early stages of the second set, sounding like a wounded animal in her first service game.  I noticed that Serena shouted “come on” in the middle of one of the points, which could easily have been called for hindrance. Thanks to Tom (@Tommlev) on Twitter for highlighting the exact point in this video…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VZW6NCIV40&t=2m6s

Video by WTATennisPros

After two holds at the start of the second set, Serena suddenly cut out the errors and then won four of the next five games to force a decider.  The way that Serena can almost flick a switch to go from playing atrocious to awesome tennis still surprises me every time.  Wozniacki didn’t do anything differently and the change in momentum was all down to Serena.

The third set was really special and witnessed both players playing well at the same time.  Wozniacki was really giving it some welly, meanwhile Serena was serving exceptionally well.  Serena came close to the break, but Wozniacki kept up an unnerving intensity during the third set and secured the all important break at 4-4 after a botched drop shot from Serena.  I was really hoping Caro could pull out what would have been a monumental victory; however Serena produced an excellent return game to break to 15.  Both saved break points in their next service games as they struggled to find their first serves.  Wozniacki saved a match point, showing so much positive intent at such a critical stage of the match.  I was more surprised at how Serena managed to dig out two remarkable shots.  If you haven’t seen the point, you can watch it below…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S40NMPgoyBw

Video by WTATennisPros

In the third set tiebreak, Serena came back from 4-1 and two mini breaks down to go up 6-4 with two more match points.  The first was saved in style by Wozniacki as she approached the net again and the second saw an errant groundstroke into the net from Serena.  At 6-6, it was Serena who served an ace out wide (after a first ace had been called let by Kader Nouni) and then won the final point of the match on a Wozniacki shot wide to book her place in the final.  I was gutted for Caroline because she played a sensational match.  She wasted a few opportunities towards the end of the third set, but she couldn’t have done a lot more when serving for the match.  It was a tough loss, but I really hope she takes away the glowing positives from this match.  She is playing soooo much better than when she was number one in the world, which highlights how much the WTA has improved in the last five or so years.  If she can maintain this type of tennis, 2015 should be fun.

In the second semi-final, Simona Halep produced an excellent performance to overwhelm Agnieszka Radwanska, 6-2 6-2 in 67 minutes.  Apart from one sloppy game in the second set, Halep controlled this match from start to finish.  The way that Halep can transition seamlessly from hitting cross court to down-the-line was one of the keys in this match.  Halep took advantage of any short balls from Aga, closing down the net on many occasions.  It was a tough match for Radwanska, who tried to mix it up and give Halep something different, but it just wasn’t enough on the day.  Both players hit 13 unforced errors in this match, but it was the winners that made all the difference; Halep hit 26 to Radwanska’s 4.

I am relishing the prospect of a final rematch between Williams and Halep having missed their first match.  In round robin action, Halep defeated Williams, 6-0 6-2 in one of Serena’s worst ever losses.  It was a superb performance from Halep who saved six break points in the second set.  On the other hand, Serena played a poor match and is unlikely to deliver a performance like that again.   I do think Serena will win this match, particularly after the way she weathered the storm against Wozniacki and reined her game back in after an error-strewn mess in the first set; however Halep is playing well enough and with both focus and determination to make this a very enjoyable and competitive final.  I hope this final will be a fitting end to what has been a brilliant week in Singapore.

Prediction: S.Williams d. Halep in 3 sets

As always and more than ever, i’d love to hear your thoughts on this final.  Who do you think will win and why?

Photo in this post by Jimmie48 Tennis Photography