Wozniacki Hopes for Bulgarian Fans' Support at TOC Final

Wozniacki defeated Bulgaria's best female tennis player Tsvetana Pironkova 6-4, 6-1 to advance to the final where she will face former world no. 3 Nadia Petrova of Russia. Photo by Getty Images

Former world number 1 Caroline Wozniacki has called on Bulgarian fans to support her at the finals of the Tournament of Champions in Sofia even though she was the one to kick out local hope Tsvetana Pironkova.

"I feel sorry to beat Pironkova in front of her fans at home, but I am happy to reach the final and hope the fans will support me on Sunday," Wozniacki said.

Wozniacki defeated Bulgaria's best female tennis player Tsvetana Pironkova 6-4, 6-1 to advance to the final where she will face former world no. 3 Nadia Petrova of Russia.

"She was playing well at the beginning - she had nothing to lose, and she was playing in front of her home crowd," Wozniacki commented.

"It's never easy playing a player in front of their home crowd, but once I got used to her playing style, things got better for me. I'm happy to move through in straight sets today. I'm just taking it one day at a time and one tournament at a time - I'm just thinking about what I'm going to do in the final tomorrow," Wozniacki said.

"I just want to keep working hard, keep playing my game and keep having fun. If you forget the fun, it doesn't work. I just enjoy being out there playing my game, and it's just a privilege to play in front of such a great crowd here in Sofia."

Caroline Wozniacki, who began this year as Number one in the WTA rankings, was the group leader due to her high ranking in WTA at the start of the tournament – No. 11.

Making it to the final and playing for her third title (after Seoul and Moscow) has ensured Wozniacki's return to the top 10 when the rankings are updated on Monday.

She will rise from No. 11 to No. 10, swapping with Marion Bartoli.

Petrova will also be trying for her third title of the year. During her previous four matches with Wozniacki, she has suffered defeats.

The tournament in Sofia featured eight tennis players, two of whom received a "wild card" - the best Bulgarian female tennis star Tsvetana Pironkova and Russian Maria Kirilenko, who is No. 15 in the rankings.

The 2012 WTA Tournament of Champions is a singles-only tennis tournament that is played on indoor hard courts in Sofia's Arena Armeec hall.

This is the fourth edition of the tournament and is part of the 2012 WTA Tour.

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