Caroline Wozniacki

Reigning Olympic champion Puig, who is from Puerto Rico, came back from a set down to win 0-6 6-4 6-4.

Playing his first competitive match since pulling out of the ATP Tour Finals with knee trouble in November, the world number one showed no signs of early season rust as he tore through the evening match at Rod Laver Arena in one hour and 34 minutes.

Nadal pulled out of the Brisbane International earlier this month saying his training was slightly behind schedule due to the injury suffered midway through November's ATP Finals in London.

But any doubts over his fitness were allayed by his impressive court coverage while his trademark groundstrokes were on song.

Victory for the Dane, who lost in the 2010 WTA final and twice in the US Open final, ends years of near misses on the biggest stage and caps a memorable 2017, where she reached eight finals and added a second title to the Pan Pacific crown which she won in September.

While Wozniacki put an end to her season of falling agonisingly short, it was another high profile runners-up finish for Williams, who had become the oldest woman to reach the final in the tournament's history, after beating Caroline Garcia in Saturday's semi-final.

Wozniacki has enjoyed a fine season having reached seven finals but she has the chance to claim the biggest title of her career after a 7-6 6-3 victory over Karolina Pliskova on Saturday in the opening semi-final.

The Dane lost in the final of this even in Doha in 2010 and has also suffered defeat in two US Open finals but she continued her week in Singapore with a dominant display to end Pliskova's season and year-end no 1 dream.

The British number one was the better player throughout and held her nerves when she needed to most, breaking Wozniacki to seal the victory with a magnificent lob at the end of a thrilling rally.

Victory gives Konta the most significant trophy of her career. The Premier Mandatory event falls just under the Grand Slams in the season's events and the 1000 points on offer mean the 25-year-old will rise to number seven in Monday's updated world ranking list.