Opponents in the Dubai semifinals, Venus Williams and Caroline Wozniacki share more than a past as former world No. 1s.  Their results over the past couple of seasons have been up and down, to say the least.  But a deep run at this WTA Premier event with an outstanding field gives reason to believe a return to form is imminent for both women.  On the way to the semifinals, Williams has defeated Elena Vesnina, Ana Ivanovic and Flavia Pennetta without dropping a set. Wozniacki has also been impressive, dropping a set to Sabine Lisicki before defeating young talents Annika Beck and Sorana Cirstea in straight sets.

 

 

Things haven’t been this easy for Williams recently. Venus did reach a final at the beginning of the year in Auckland, New Zealand, falling to another former top-ranked player in Ivanovic. But in her next two tournaments, Williams lost grueling three-setters within the first two rounds. Considering all that she has endured with Sjogren's disease, those close results are more than enough to propel her confidence even further. Not much has changed in her game. Venus is still one of the most athletic and powerful players on the WTA Tour. If she can stay on the court, there’s no reason to think she couldn’t get her ranking back to a relevant position.

 

Unlike Williams, the reasons behind Wozniacki’s up-and-down results have been harder to pin down. Is it the coaching uncertainty, dominated by her father's enigmatic presence? The high-profile romance with golfer Rory McIlroy, to whom she became engaged over the off-season? The lack of a big weapon? The dominant return of Serena Williams? Or just confidence issues? It could be a combination of all those factors. But despite some shortcomings, one doesn’t get to the mountaintop without a battle, and Wozniacki—an athlete in her prime years—needs to tap back into that inner reserve of determination that got her to world No. 1 in the first place.  

 

Over the course of their careers, Venus and Wozniacki have notched their best results on hard courts and under faster playing conditions. There are more Premier hard-court tournaments just around the bend, where both players can make a significant impact on the draw—and their rankings. It’s all about effectively handling what’s under their control. And this week’s tournament in Dubai suggests that they’re doing exactly that, with more improvement possibly on the horizon.