Wozniacki, Vesnina move indoors for wins

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Caroline Wozniacki waited most of Friday, then moved back into the finals of the Pilot Pen, beating Flavia Pennetta of Italy 6-4, 6-1 in a match that was moved from a 13,000-seat stadium to an indoor college court.

The 19-year-old Wozniacki is scheduled to play for her sixth career title and her second consecutive win in New Haven on Saturday against Elena Vesnina.

The unseeded Russian upset former Wimbledon and Australian Open champion Amelie Mauresmo 5-7, 6-1, 6-2 the second indoor semifinal of the night.

With a steady rain falling, a tropical weather system looming, and the U.S. Open on the horizon, tournament officials made the decision Friday evening to play the women’s semifinals inside Yale’s newly renovated Cullman-Heyman Tennis Center.

About 300 fans squeezed into the building, leaning over a balcony that overlooked the courts or standing on adjacent courts.

Mauresmo, who turned pro in 1993, said this was unique for a WTA event.

“You know what, it’s been long time that I’m on the tour, but I don’t recall any circumstances like this, that we had to play indoors like this, not being able to at least have a little window, being rushed with the time also … yeah, first time.”

Instead of a giant video screen, the score was kept by hand on a tiny tin scoreboard hung from a net normally used to separate the courts inside the hanger-like building.

“I was so focused on the match, I didn’t really think too much about the other things,” Wozniacki said. “I like to play indoors, so I didn’t mind playing indoors. The most important thing is that I won. All the other things really doesn’t matter.”

It seemed to take a while for the players to adjust, as both Wozniacki and Pennetta broke the other’s serve to open the match. Wozniacki broke again on the final game of the first set.

The two traded breaks again early in the second set, before Wozniacki took control with breaks in the fourth and sixth games, and then served out the match.

“I didn’t serve very well today,” Pennetta said. “It’s a little bit different play indoor to outdoor. The ball was always like really near my head. I didn’t jump a lot today. I think she played a great match. She was very focused and very aggressive from the beginning. I had my chances, but I didn’t make it.”

Vesnina was frustrated early, committing a flurry of unforced errors in the first set. But she composed herself enough to win three straight games and was serving for the set at 5-4. Mauresmo broke her in the 10th game, held serve and broke again to take a one-set lead.

Vesnina dominated the rest of the way, increasing her accuracy with pinpoint placement in the corners. She broke Mauresmo twice in the first five games of the second set, and broke her again in the final game to win the set 6-1, disappointing the pro-Mauresmo crowd.

Frequently chastising herself in Russian, a determined Vesnina, who is ranked 32nd, broke Mauresmo on her first two serves in the third set and cruised from there.

The men’s semifinals were rained out Friday. Tournament officials hoped to get both those matches in Saturday, as well as both finals.

But forecasts called for heavy rain and high winds Saturday, fueled by tropical storm Danny.

Tournament spokesman Matt Van Tuinen said officials could move more matches indoors, or postpone some until Sunday, when the weather is expected to be better.