Kerber tames Wozniacki in semis
Runner-up from last year beats former world number one in three sets to seal her progress at Aegon International.
Germany’s Angelique Kerber reached her second Aegon International final with a 3-6, 7-6, 6-3 victory over 2009 champion Caroline Wozniacki.
Kerber, who finished as runner-up to Tamira Paszek in 2012, challenged her Danish opponent throughout the two-hour, 39-minute semi-final of fiercely contested baseline rallies.
Wozniacki, at first, held the upper hand by being the more aggressive player as she frequently came to the net, but after holding off three break points as she served out the opening set her challenge began to lose its intensity.
Kerber held a set point at 5-4 before winning the last six points of the tiebreaker to claim the second set, and in the third she finished strongly by sweeping five of the last six games.
For her first title since Linz in October 2013, Kerber will play either American teenager Madison Keys or Britain’s Heather Watson.
In the men’s draw, top-seeded Richard Gasquet reached the final with a comfortable 6-4, 6-2 win over Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan.
The Frenchman will chase his 11th career title on Saturday against either defending champion Feliciano Lopez of Spain or American Sam Querey, who play later on Friday.