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US Open champion Kerber turns dreams into reality

While Serena with 22 Majors continues to be an ace in terms of the whole career like no one else, Kerber has told the world that she is here to stay.

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Germany’s Angelique Kerber began her reign as world number one in imperious style battling past a determined Karolina Pliskova 6-3 4-6 6-4 to win the U.S. Open final on Saturday and claim her second grand slam title of the year.

Since pulling off the ultimate achievement in tennis, outlasting Serena Williams in the third set of a nerve-strewn final at the Australian Open in Melbourne, she had proved her credentials to back up her first major title more than anyone could have imagined. Kerber was coming off a tiring run to the Olympic gold-medal match then and dealing with the pressure of her first chance to ascend to the top of the rankings.

The Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd roared, and Kerber celebrated by raising her right hand and wagging her index finger in the air, as if to remind opponent Karolina Pliskova – and everyone else – “I’m No. 1!”

In 2016, Kerber beat Serena Williams in the Australian Open final, lost to Williams in the Wimbledon final, took home the silver medal, losing to Monica Puig of Puerto Rico, at the Olympics and reached the No. 1 spot when Williams lost to Pliskova in the semifinals in NY. Instead, Williams and Graf remain tied on both.

Pictures of the incident were splashed by Czech tabloid Blesk and Pliskova immediately deleted romantic pictures of the couple from her Instagram account.

An emotional Kerber said on court: “It’s just incredible”.

“I heard from her yesterday (Friday) or like two days ago”. She was wishing me luck for the final … “I played so well”. She’s a great champion as well.

Kerber admitted she was a little negative in the second set. At the end of one heady season, before Kerber finally sat in her chair and sobbed as a champion again, she had won the last eight points of the Grand Slam year, which made for a fitting ending and a promising plane ride.

Kristyna, meanwhile, has just one piece of ink on the inside of her left arm.

Heading into this season, Kerber had always been an established player in the top 10, but never had reached the finals of a Grand Slam tournament.

“For sure”, Kerber told Pliskova during the trophy ceremony, “you have a great future”.

“What’s happened in the last two weeks, it’s just incredible”, Kerber said.

The 28-year-old had the opportunity to displace Serena Williams from the number one position when she took on the Czech player in the final of the Cincinnati Masters in August 2016.

Pliskova, who had never made it past the third round of a Grand Slam in 17 prior attempts, also beat Venus Williams en route to the title match, becoming just the fourth player to beat both Williams sisters in the same Grand Slam.

Pliskova scored a huge break in the third game of the deciding set when she jammed Kerber’s backhand and the German hit it long.

But at the outset of this final, it was Kerber who was in charge.

Kerber reached her first Grand Slam semifinal in NY in 2011 as an unheralded world No. 92.

It was her first match played under the pressure of being the No. 1 player in the world. “I’m starting to move out of the shadows”.

“But then it was very close”. I have to be the one who is aggressive. “It’s never easy to beat her”.

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“It’s more tough to do the points, especially if it’s close and you really have to push it really hard to make the victor in the end”.

Angelique Kerber reacts after defeating Karolina Pliskova