MIAMI _ Caroline Wozniacki is more familiar with the Crandon Park Tennis Center than most players at the Miami Open. She is a part-time Miami resident, sometimes trains on Key Biscayne, won the Orange Bowl junior title here in 2005 and has played the Miami Open 10 years in a row.
But she had never reached a final until now.
Wozniacki, displaying a variety of shots in addition to her dogged retrieving, rallied to beat No. 2 seed Karolina Pliskova 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 in the semifinals on Thursday afternoon. She will play the winner of Thursday's late-night match between Venus Williams, rejuvenated at age 36, and Johanna Konta, the first British woman to reach the semifinals in Miami.
"It's extremely special," Wozniacki said of making Saturday's final.
"Having a place here, training here in the offseason, playing kind of on home advantage, it's special to be in my first finals here. I'm extremely excited. It's always been a tournament where I wouldn't say I struggle, but I've just not had the results I wanted."
Wozniacki is a former world No. 1 who held the ranking for 67 weeks in 2010 and '11. But she battled ankle injuries last year, fell out of the top 50 last summer and was getting more publicity for her love life and swimsuit modeling. Carrying the flag of Denmark in the opening ceremony of the Rio Olympics was one of the highlights of her year.
But she has surged back this season. She made back-to-back finals at Doha and Dubai last month, and will re-enter the top 10 with her results here.
She expects a tough final, whether it is Williams or Konta on the other side of the net. Konta beat her in straight sets in the third round of the Australian Open in January. Playing Williams, she said, would be a special thrill.
"Venus is an inspiration, being 36 years old, turning 37 this year, it's so impressive that she's been playing so well and playing so well for so many years," said Wozniacki, 26.
"Her determination and everything that she shows, she's great for tennis. It's great to see her playing at a very high level. I have nothing but just positive words to say about Venus.
"Venus is one of those few players on tour that I've played quite a few times and I've never beaten her. So I would definitely try and get my revenge on court."
