The 28-year-old German added the USA crown to the Australian Open title she won earlier this year by coming through an engrossing match that lasted more than three hours.
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Kerber had downplayed talk about becoming number one but admitted it felt “just great”.
Kerber won the big points in the first set-and-a-half against the tall, powerful Pliskova, who was appearing in a first grand slam final.
That’s not an accusation easily levelled at her opponent in Saturday’s women’s singles final, Karolina Pliskova.
“The secret is simple: I have to play my best tennis, my best game”, he told Bryan Armen Graham of the Guardian. She won both the US Open and the Australian Open, and made it to the finals of Wimbledon on top of that.
“In the second set, I found some power”, Pliskova said. “I knew I’m going to have my chances even if she’s playing her best”.
Kerber wiped tears of joy and relief from her eyes before accepting a winner’s cheque for $3.5 million and a gleaming silver trophy after fighting back to beat Karolina Pliskova in a display worthy of the new number one player in women’s tennis.
It was Pliskova who guaranteed Kerber’s ascension in the rankings by beating Williams in the semifinals, ending her streak of 186 consecutive weeks at the top, which began in February 2013 and equaled Graf’s mark.
In January, she not only advanced to the Australian Open title match but beat Serena Williams there.
This year it was Czech 10th seed Pliskova, who until this week had never played beyond the third round of a Grand Slam, delivering the upset as she swept Serena off an Arthur Ashe Stadium court she claims as her own in 86 minutes.
Kerber played an aggressive match against the resurgent Dane, but had a few nervous moments while closing it out at 5-2 in the second set.
“It’s just incredible”, a beaming Kerber, told an adoring crowd after being handed the winner’s cheque of $3.5 million.
Added Pliskova, “It was always a dream to, you know, get a title, get to the semifinal, get to the final”. So, how does she feel about the major accomplishment?
Kerber’s loss of the second set was the first time the entire championship that she had dropped a set.
At the US Open semi-finals on a humid Thursday night in NY, newly-crowned world number one Angelique Kerber was described as being “a little predictable”.
“I was just happy that I took it to a third set and even though I couldn’t get the win I’m really proud of myself, the way I was playing in the last two weeks”, said Pliskova. “If she’s a break down, she never gives up”. Pliskova made 17 unforced errors to three for Kerber.
The big-hitting Pliskova, beyond the third round at a major for the first time, was solid, but the 24-year-old lost the final eight points of the match. Instead, Pliskova won that day for a breakthrough title and has been riding the momentum ever since.
Pliskova and Kerber will meet in the women’s final today. (She beat Williams in Melbourne and lost to her at Wimble-don.) But the US Open has thrown up some unexpected champions of late, including Sam Stosur and Flavia Pennetta, so a win for Pliskova – the 10th seed here – would hardly be the shock of the decade.
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She has been dating Michal Hrdlicka, a former sports presenter at Czech TV station, Nova.
