Heather Watson battled the elements and a stern examination from Alison Riske to reach her second WTA final at the Hobart International.
The world No.49 fought back from 3-1 down in the first set to post a 6-3 7-5 victory in the face of gale force winds and six rain delays, the last of which forced the players off court with Watson serving at match point.
Twinned with the victory over tournament top seed Casey Dellacqua at last week’s Hopman Cup, a third victory over a seeded opponent can only be good for Watson ahead of the Australian Open, where she faces Bulgaria’s Tsvetana Pironkova in the first round.
“As far as preparation goes, it’s brilliant for me,” Watson said. “I’ve got a lot of confidence from these wins, not just from that but how I’m playing. I really believe in my game at the moment and it’s showing in my tennis.”
Whether the brand of tennis both Watson and Riske had to adopt in conditions better suited to sailing than tennis was of much use before the switch to Melbourne is open to debate. Officially, winds topped out at 45kph in Hobart on Friday, but the sight of line judges’ boxes shifting on court suggested the true wind-speed was much faster than that.
After play finally got underway – the first of a half-dozen rain interruptions came just seconds before Watson was set to serve in the opening game, and the players were sidelined for a second time minutes later – it was Riske who adapted to the conditions fastest. The No.8 seed opened up a 3-1 lead, only to have her visor blown from her head as the Briton broke back for 3-3 soon after.
Both players were racking up errors in the face of the wind – Watson hitting 16 in the first set, Riske 23, while combining for just 10 winners – but it was Watson who won the points that mattered, closing out the set after a second break in 53 minutes.
Two further brief rain delays and a break apiece followed before the players were forced off court for almost an hour midway through the second set. On their return, and with the wind dying down, Watson produced some of the best tennis of the match, drop-shotting and firing winners to break and serve for the match at 5-4.
Then, serving on her third match point at 5-4, Watson and Riske were forced from the court once more by another band of heavy rain. The Briton double-faulted on their return 65 minutes later, and Riske grabbed a break.
The reprieve was short-lived. Riske coughed up four errors handed Watson a second chance to serve out the match. This time, the Briton made no mistake, officially wrapping up a match that began at 1.26pm and ended at 5.30pm local time in one hour, 58 minutes.
“It wasn’t easy conditions for anybody, even those watching the match,” said Watson, who will face Madison Brengle in the final. “Instead of serving properly, it was more about trying to get the ball in the court.
“I can’t always play that aggressive style on days like today, but if it’s not [as windy on Saturday], for sure I’m going to play that way.”