That the No. 1 and No. 2 women’s seeds would survive into the finals was a long shot at the start of the Australian Open; it’s not a regular occurrence on either tour. That they both had to save match points to get there—in Halep’s case, two times—makes this match feel like a minor miracle.

But it will be a major, winner-take-all battle. For Halep and Wozniacki, this may be the best chance they will ever have to tear the dreaded “Slamless No. 1” label off their backs. And speaking of No. 1, the winner of this match will also own that ranking on Monday. Halep is 26 and Wozniacki a sneaky-young 27, but a victory for either of them will be a career-changing experience.

Tennis Channel's panel of experts give their thoughts on the women's final:

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So who will get to have that experience? Based on their head to head record, Wozniacki is the favorite. She leads Halep 4-2, she has won their last three meetings, and in their most recent match, at the WTA Finals last October in Singapore, she won 6-0, 6-2. Wozniacki hasn’t quite reached those Singaporean heights in Melbourne, but she has been more aggressive than usual, and she has responded well to each mid-match challenge from her opponents. Coming back from 1-5 down in the third set, as Wozniacki did in the second round, tends to make you feel confident that you can come back again.

If that’s true of Wozniacki, though, it should be doubly true for Halep, who saved three match points against Lauren Davis and two more against Angelique Kerber. In her losses to Wozniacki in the past, Halep hasn’t been able to power through the Dane’s carefully constructed defenses for long enough. But she was able to do that against Kerber. Over the last five games of their classic semifinal, Halep, playing with controlled fury after squandering match points of her own, found the perfect balance between aggression and margin. Can she find that balance again, without needing the fury to go with it? The answer should determine which of these women finally becomes a Slam-winning No. 1.

Winner: Wozniacki

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Australian Open Final Preview: Caroline Wozniacki vs. Simona Halep

Australian Open Final Preview: Caroline Wozniacki vs. Simona Halep

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