Angelique Kerber is the new world number one and favourite to become US Open champion but the German insists she can handle the pressure ahead of Saturday’s final.
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The German, who ends Serena Williams’ 186-week reign as world number one, claimed a 6-3 4-6 6-4 win over Czech 10th seed Pliskova at Flushing Meadows on Saturday.
The second seed earned a 6-4 4-6 6-4 victory in NY to become just the second female player to lift two Grand Slam titles in the same year since 2007.
“It’s just incredible. I won my second Grand Slam of the year and it’s the best year of my career”, Kerber said after the match. She is just the fourth player in the Open Era, behind Evonne Goolagong (1971), Steffi Graf (1987) and Martina Hingis (1997) to have reach three major finals in the same year they reached their first.
Kerber finished 2015 ranked 10th in the world but after beating Serena Williams in the final in Melbourne and losing to her in this year’s Wimbledon final, she will officially rise to world number one on Monday.
“Everyone was talking to me that you can win a grand slam”, Pliskova told media members on Thursday. “I was just believing in myself in the third set and going for it; I was trying to take the chance”.
Kerber would have overtaken Williams for the top spot had she defeated Pliskova in the Cincinnati final August 21.
The German also became the oldest player to make her debut at No.1, a record previously held by Jennifer Capriati, who was 25 years when she sealed the top spot in October 2001. Then she addressed Kerber directly, saying: “It was a great match, and I’m very honored to play with you”. Serena Williams is now not the queen of world tennis any more, of course we are only talking form and not legend here.
Now Kerber, the second seed, can build on her top ranking by winning the US Open, but Pliskova stands in her way.
Sure enough, Kerber broke Pliskova twice in the first set, including in the first game of the match en route to a quick 2-0 lead.
“For me starts everything here like 2011”, Kerber said.
Like Pliskova, Kerber had never progressed beyond the third round at grand slams until then.
“Not even in the beginning”, Pliskova said. But she fought back in the third set and wore down the towering Czech, who started to wilt in the punishing conditions, hunching over her racket at the end of nearly every point.
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“It means a lot to me”, a teary-eyed Kerber said moments after her win. Wozniacki, down at 74 in the world after missing nearly three months of the season with an ankle injury, had refused on the eve of her fifth semi-final in NY to dampen speculation that she was on the brink of announcing her retirement. Pliskova served out the second set – the only one dropped by Kerber all tournament – and spiked a ball. “Even when she was down a set and break she was still fighting”. As she caught up to the ball, Kerber sized up the court, somehow found a sliver of daylight, and unloaded. At 1-1, Pliskova erred on a forehand on break point and came up empty when holding a 15-30 advantage on the Kerber serve at 2-2.
