As expected, the top seed Venus Williams and the second seed Misaki Doi will contest the final of the inaugural International-level Taiwan Open, held on hard courts in Kaohsiung.
Recent Results
Williams had a disastrous start to the year which saw her lose her top 10 ranking. The 35-year-old lost in the first round at Auckland as the defending champion to Daria Kasatkina and the first round of the Australian Open to Johanna Konta after reaching the quarter finals in Melbourne one year ago. However, after winning her first matches of the year against Poland during their Fed Cup tie last weekend, Williams has quickly regained form.
Despite some taping on her left thigh, the American hasn't dropped a set all week in Taiwan. Though she's complained of slow starts and was pushed close in the first sets of her last two matches, Williams raised her game to beat Anastasija Sevastova 7-5, 6-2 and third seed Yulia Putintseva 7-5, 6-3.
Like Williams, Doi failed to win a match in January, dropping her openers at Auckland, Hobart and the Australian Open. The 24-year-old received a notable mention though in Melbourne considering she held a match point against Angelique Kerber in the first round, who subsequently went on to win the whole tournament.
So far in Kaohsiung, Doi's made even smoother progress than her finals opponent, losing only seven games at the most against Kristyna Pliskova 6-3, 6-4 in the first round and crushing sixth seed Hsieh-Su-Wei 6-0, 6-2 in the semi finals.
Past Experience
A seven-time Grand Slam champion and former world number one, Williams is a legend of the game whose career is already into its twenty second year. The current world number 12 has a strong record in finals, winning 48 of the 78 finals she's contested, winning most recently in Zhuhai last November.
In contrast, Doi is into only her second WTA final after winning in Luxembourg last October. Though ranked seven places below her career best at 61, Japan's second ranked player is renowned for pushing top players but has a nasty habit of letting matches slip away. Last year, Doi pushed Ana Ivanovic to 6-4 in the third set at the French Open, led Agnieszka Radwanska 6-1, 2-1 in Stanford but failed to win another game and held three consecutive match points against Belinda Bencic at the US Open only to miss out.
Head-to-Head
The two have never met before. Perhaps the most remarkable note about the upcoming match is the fact that Williams, at six foot one inches tall is almost a complete foot taller than Doi, who stands at only five feet two inches.
Williams is a power-house with one of the quickest first serves on tour who is always looking to shorten the points and come forward. The American will look to attack her opponent's second serve as always and use her experience if the going gets tough.
As a lefty, Doi should be able to catch Williams off guard given that the top seed has only played right handers this week. Unlike many other Asian players, the 24-year-old hits quite a heavy ball on her forehand and should be able to live with Williams from the back. Her real dilemma is finding the self belief to close the match out if given the chance, considering her recent fragility under pressure.
Prediction: Venus Williams in straight sets