By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Saturday October 26, 2024
Caroline Dolehide came through four match points to defeat Lucia Bronzetti in Guanghzhou.
Photo Source: TTC
26-year-old Caroline Dolehide came back from the brink to reach her second career WTA final on Saturday in China, saving four match points to defeat Italy's Lucia Bronzetti, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(9) at the Guangzhou China Open.
The World No.101 courageously saved four points in the final set tiebreak, and converted her first match point to earn her first trip to a WTA final since reaching the Guadalajara final last year.
Dolehide tattoed back-to-back forehand down-the-line blasts to get from 4-6 to 6-6 in the breaker, then rilled a backhand return winner with Bronzetti serving at 7-6.
Bronzetti missed a smash wide to end the match in two hours and 39 minutes.
The Illinois native, a former World No.41, will face Serbia’s Olga Danilovic for the title.
Danilovic advanced to her first career hard court final when top-seeded Katerina Siniakova was forced to retire while trailing 4-3 in the final set. The Czech, who battled through discomfort all match, appeared to have a stomach injury.
Dolehide will bid for her first career title, while 86th-ranked Danilovic will bid for her second.
Danilovic has won the pair’s two previous meetings, at a 125K in Indian Wells in 2019, and in the final round of qualifying at the 2021 US Open.