It’s a close encounter of 3rd kind

IT will be third time lucky for Simona Halep or Carolina Wozniacki in the Australian Open final tomorrow, with the world No.1 spot also on the line.

Halep (top) lost her first two Grand Slam finals at the French Open and Wozniacki (left) has been beaten in two US Open finals but one will win her first Grand Slam title Down Under.

Halep, who saved two match points before seeing off 2016 champion Angelique Kerber 6-3 4-6 9-7, said: “I tried to be calm but today I was like a roller coaster. But I was not afraid of losing so maybe that’s why I won those match points.”

World No.2 Wozniacki saved two match points in the first round – and yesterday suffered a late bout of nerves before beating unseeded Belgian Elise Mertens 6-3 7-6

“I could have been home already,” she said. It is the first Australian Open final between two players still chasing a first major since 1980, when Hana Mandlikova beat Wendy Turnbull.