“I knew I had the chance to beat anyone if I played my game”.
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She is replaced by Angelique Kerber at the top spot, after the German beat Dane Caroline Wozniacki 6-4, 6-3 to set up the decider with the 24-year-old. Just as she had after her quarterfinal victory, Wozniacki declined to address a question about reports that her father told media she could retire in the next year or two. “So it was not so easy mentally, but I was trying to not put too much pressure on myself”. I mean, if I’m not used to playing this, and I really should think of something different. Coach Patrick Mouratoglou said they had worked all day to get it ready. But she refused to use fatigue as an excuse for her loss.
In an interview after her stunning win on Thursday, Pliskova said by playing Venus earlier in the tournament in front of a crowd of nearly 23,000 fans, backing the American, had helped her prepare for her semi-final clash against Serena and the fans that supported her at the Arthur Ashe Stadium. “As soon as she started, it was awful”.
Kerber, who finished 2015 ranked 10th in the world, is into her third Grand Slam final of the season after fashioning an upset win over Williams at the Australian Open in January and falling to the American in the title match at Wimbledon.
World class player Serena Williams faced big heat in US Open semifinals.
The 28-year-old becomes only the second German woman to achieve this historic milestone since computer rankings were introduced in 1975, and the first since Steffi Graf spent the last of her record 377 weeks at No.1 in March 1997.
With her mind on the injury, Williams’ game went awry.
“I was expecting tough match but I knew I can win”. She blasted seven aces and stood firm when Williams rallied in the second set tiebreak with some sensational shot making.
In the fourth round Pliskova beat Williams’ sister, Venus, after saving a match point.
The match is for the women’s singles title at the US Open, and will begin at 4 p.m. ET from Arthur Ashe Stadium.
“Yeah, I have been having some serious left knee problems”, Williams said.
However, the night at Flushing Meadows ended up with a jubilant Kerber showing her class to dispose of Wozniacki.
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Despite the loss, Serena had nothing but nice things to say about her competitor and handled the defeat with grace.
