<p class="title">Simona Halep and Caroline Wozniacki will each be trying to end a Grand Slam jinx when they lock horns in an Australian Open final Saturday between the world's two best players.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Both Halep and Wozniacki are in their third major final -- their first in Australia -- and both saved match points in earlier rounds to get there.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Defeat for Romanian world number one Halep would see her knocked off the top ranking by the Dane, currently number two.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Wozniacki, 27, has long carried the unwanted moniker of best player never to win a major, having reached the US Open final in 2009 and 2014, and first becoming number one in 2010.</p>.<p class="bodytext">She is in her 43rd Grand Slam appearance and with a win will regain the number one spot six years after last holding the position -- the longest gap between stints at the top since computerised rankings were introduced in 1975.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"I always believed in myself. I had a tough period where I had a few injuries," said the 27-year-old after reaching another major final with a 6-3, 7-6 (7/2) win over unseeded Elise Mertens.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Wozniacki slid down the rankings to 19th at the end of 2016, and even had to dismiss rumours of retirement in Melbourne a year ago.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"That was kind of hard and tough mentally. But once I got past that, I knew that if I can stay healthy and I work hard, my game is good enough for it," she said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Her hard work was rewarded with a renaissance in 2017, reaching eight finals -- winning in Tokyo and at the season-ending WTA Finals, where she banished another hoodoo by registering a first career win over Venus Williams.</p>.<p class="bodytext">She continued her sparkling form at the start of this year and has 10 wins and only one defeat, to Julia Goerges in the warm-up Auckland final.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Halep is in her 31st Grand Slam tournament after defeating former champion Angelique Kerber 6-3, 4-6, 9-7 in a thrilling semifinal. She made her only previous Grand Slam final appearances at Roland Garros in 2014 and 2017.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Romanian has only beaten Wozniacki twice in their six previous matches, the most recent meeting ending in a 6-0, 6-2 battering by the Dane at the 2017 WTA Finals in Singapore.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"The way she's playing, she's not missing," said Halep of Wozniacki. "She's running very well. So she's a strong opponent. I played many times. I won against her few times.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"It's going to be a different match. Emotions are there. Pressures are there for both of us. We'll see what is going to happen."</p>.<p class="bodytext">Halep, without a clothing sponsor, will again be trusting her 'lucky' red dress she found on the internet.</p>.<p class="bodytext">She wore it to win the title in the warm-up event in Shenzhen, and it has served her brilliantly in an 11-match unbeaten run.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The 26-year-old said it might be hard to treat Saturday's occasion as just another game.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"I don't want to change anything. It's a normal match. For sure it's a big challenge," she said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Maybe the biggest one, because all the things that were going on this tournament, first Grand Slam of the year, first final here."</p>.<p class="bodytext">Halep had to save three match points in her third-round third-set 15-13 epic against American Lauren Davis, the longest match of the tournament and third longest in Australian Open history at 3hr 44min.</p>.<p class="bodytext">She had to save two more against Kerber to reach the final.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Wozniacki was almost out of the tournament at 1-5, 15-40 in the third set to unseeded Jana Fett in the second round before fashioning her own great escape.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Just like me, she was down matchpoints early on in the tournament, has come back and fought her way," said Wozniacki.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"I think it's exciting because we're both playing for the number one ranking. I think it's a cool storyline."</p>
<p class="title">Simona Halep and Caroline Wozniacki will each be trying to end a Grand Slam jinx when they lock horns in an Australian Open final Saturday between the world's two best players.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Both Halep and Wozniacki are in their third major final -- their first in Australia -- and both saved match points in earlier rounds to get there.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Defeat for Romanian world number one Halep would see her knocked off the top ranking by the Dane, currently number two.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Wozniacki, 27, has long carried the unwanted moniker of best player never to win a major, having reached the US Open final in 2009 and 2014, and first becoming number one in 2010.</p>.<p class="bodytext">She is in her 43rd Grand Slam appearance and with a win will regain the number one spot six years after last holding the position -- the longest gap between stints at the top since computerised rankings were introduced in 1975.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"I always believed in myself. I had a tough period where I had a few injuries," said the 27-year-old after reaching another major final with a 6-3, 7-6 (7/2) win over unseeded Elise Mertens.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Wozniacki slid down the rankings to 19th at the end of 2016, and even had to dismiss rumours of retirement in Melbourne a year ago.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"That was kind of hard and tough mentally. But once I got past that, I knew that if I can stay healthy and I work hard, my game is good enough for it," she said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Her hard work was rewarded with a renaissance in 2017, reaching eight finals -- winning in Tokyo and at the season-ending WTA Finals, where she banished another hoodoo by registering a first career win over Venus Williams.</p>.<p class="bodytext">She continued her sparkling form at the start of this year and has 10 wins and only one defeat, to Julia Goerges in the warm-up Auckland final.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Halep is in her 31st Grand Slam tournament after defeating former champion Angelique Kerber 6-3, 4-6, 9-7 in a thrilling semifinal. She made her only previous Grand Slam final appearances at Roland Garros in 2014 and 2017.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Romanian has only beaten Wozniacki twice in their six previous matches, the most recent meeting ending in a 6-0, 6-2 battering by the Dane at the 2017 WTA Finals in Singapore.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"The way she's playing, she's not missing," said Halep of Wozniacki. "She's running very well. So she's a strong opponent. I played many times. I won against her few times.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"It's going to be a different match. Emotions are there. Pressures are there for both of us. We'll see what is going to happen."</p>.<p class="bodytext">Halep, without a clothing sponsor, will again be trusting her 'lucky' red dress she found on the internet.</p>.<p class="bodytext">She wore it to win the title in the warm-up event in Shenzhen, and it has served her brilliantly in an 11-match unbeaten run.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The 26-year-old said it might be hard to treat Saturday's occasion as just another game.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"I don't want to change anything. It's a normal match. For sure it's a big challenge," she said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Maybe the biggest one, because all the things that were going on this tournament, first Grand Slam of the year, first final here."</p>.<p class="bodytext">Halep had to save three match points in her third-round third-set 15-13 epic against American Lauren Davis, the longest match of the tournament and third longest in Australian Open history at 3hr 44min.</p>.<p class="bodytext">She had to save two more against Kerber to reach the final.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Wozniacki was almost out of the tournament at 1-5, 15-40 in the third set to unseeded Jana Fett in the second round before fashioning her own great escape.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Just like me, she was down matchpoints early on in the tournament, has come back and fought her way," said Wozniacki.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"I think it's exciting because we're both playing for the number one ranking. I think it's a cool storyline."</p>