Wozniacki beats Pennetta in semifinal match moved indoors

Wozniacki moves indoors for win at Pilot Pen

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.

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.

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 awhile for the players to adjust, as each 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.”

The 19-year-old Wozniacki will be going for her sixth career title and her second consecutive win at the Pilot Pen on Saturday against either Amelie Mauresmo or Elena Vesnina.

The men’s semifinals were rained out Friday. Tournament officials hoped to get both those matches in Saturday morning, and the men’s and women’s finals for Saturday night.

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.

(This version CORRECTS Corrects stadium capacity. ADDS match details, quotes, byline.)