Wozniacki into Dubai final

Caroline Wozniacki celebrated her ascent to the number one ranking by beating Jelena Jankovic to reach the final of the Dubai Duty Free Championships.

The Dane confirmed by beating Shahar Peer yesterday that she will reclaim top spot from Kim Clijsters when the new rankings are published.

And she justified that status with a battling 7-5 6-3 win over Serbian sixth seed Jankovic today to set up a final against Russia’s Svetlana Kuznetsova.

It looked bleak for Wozniacki when she slipped a break and 3-0 down in the first set – indeed she was on the brink when her Serbian opponent led 5-3 and 40-0, but she battled back to break, then claimed the next three games to complete the turnaround.

The second set was a simpler affair as Jankovic’s spirit appeared to have been broken.

Wozniacki will next face 16th seed Kuznetsova, who upset Italian 11th seed Flavia Pennetta 6-4 6-4.