Pliskova, the first Czech woman in the US Open final since Helena Sukova in 1994, will face either new world number one Angelique Kerber or Caroline Wozniacki in Saturday’s final.
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As a result of the loss, Serena will have to relinquish her number one ranking with German Angelique Kerber set to replace her. To that point, Kerber ranks first with 30 break points at this year’s tournament-two more than Pliskova has compiled through six matches.
The final won’t be unfamiliar territory for Kerber or Pliskova, who will be meeting for the eighth time on tour.
At the 2015 U.S. Open, Williams’ bid for a calendar-year Grand Slam ended when she lost in the semifinals to unseeded Roberta Vinci of Italy in one of the biggest surprises in tennis history.
Pliskova, playing in her first Grand Slam semi-final, would not feel any pressure, as the hard-serving Czech takes a 4-2 lead when Serena can not return this ball.
Pliskova held to 30 to level the second set at 4-4, followed by a comfortable service game to love for Williams.
Wozniacki came into the tournament as number 74 in the world and should now see that ranking rebound into the high 30s.
Pliskova, who survived a match point en route to a fourth-round victory over Venus Williams, was almost betrayed by her nerves as up 3-0 in the tiebreaker she produced three errors, including a double fault.
The Czech had the pressure of serving to stay in the set but passed the test with flying colors with a sweet forehand dropshot victor at the back of the court to hold to 15, however, she got a warning for coaching from her coach appearing to signal instructions. He said it was a new injury that occurred late in her quarterfinal, while she said it first bothered her earlier in the tournament. This time the upset was crafted by No. 10 seed?
“Definitely, they did a lot for tennis”, Pliskova said.
Kerber beat Williams in Melbourne before losing to her in the final at Wimbledon, but it is a new face in Pliskova she will be facing this weekend after the Czech’s stunning victory in NY.
She flubbed shot after shot, 31 unforced errors in all.
Serena’s lack of focus spilled on to the second set as she never looked ready to break through.
“It’s just incredible, a great day”, Kerber said.
Williams yelled out, “Ai-yai-yai!” and slapped her left thigh.
Grudge match? Both women are polite, even somewhat shy; Miss Pliskova perhaps less so. “As soon as she started, it was awful”.
He added: “At the end she tried to go for the victor on every shot”. Serena was playing her second consecutive day, after a two-plus-hour win over the fifth-seeded Simona Halep on Wednesday. “She’s not going to win the third”.
Serena was looking to become the first woman in the Open Era to win 23 Grand Slam singles titles.
The 24-year-old Czech continued her hard-hitting, beating Serena 6-2, 7-6 before a largely partisan crowd.
The match came to an end as the American lost with a double fault to fall in the semis of the US Open for the second straight year.
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Pliskova advances to her first grand slam final.
