Caroline Wozniacki moved a step closer to her first world No. 1 ranking after rallying to beat Elena Dementieva 1-6, 6-2, 6-3 for the Pan Pacific Open title on Saturday.
Wozniacki can overtake Serena Williams for the top spot with at least a quarterfinal finish at next week's China Open in Beijing, but things could have been very different had the 20-year-old Dane not overcome a sluggish start to seal victory at Ariake Colosseum.
Dementieva looked in complete control after breaking her opponent three times to take the first set, but top seed Wozniacki came roaring back to win the second before riding the momentum all the way to her first success at the $2 million tournament.