While Kerber beat last year’s U.S. Open runner-up, seventh-seeded Roberta Vinci, and two-time Wimbledon victor Petra Kvitova en route to the Open final, Pliskova’s road has been tougher.
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The 24-year-old Pliskova also became just the fourth player to beat both Williams sisters at the same Slam after Justine Henin, Kim Clijsters and Martina Hingis. “I am excited to be in the final and to beat Serena as she is such a great champion”.
“That was always a dream for me”, the No. 2-seeded Kerber said after beating Caroline Wozniacki 6-4, 6-3 in the semifinals Thursday night, when 10th-seeded Pliskova upset Williams 6-2, 7-6 (5). I know how I was playing in Cincinnati.
Kerber is the first German to make the US Open final since Steffi Graf beat Monica Seles here in 1996 and also the first from her country since Graf to become world number one. Adding the championship at Flushing Meadows was further proof that all of the changes Kerber has made are paying off. Then Pliskova changed course, saying: “I mean, actually, I do believe it”. “I will try to take this challenge”.
On Saturday, the No. 2-seeded Kerber trailed by a break at 3-1 in the third set before coming back against Pliskova, a 24-year-old Czech who was seeded 10th and hadn’t been past the third round at a major until this tournament.
Here, Press Association Sport, looks at the best bits. “But I think that’s also her strength”. She moved smoothly around the court, timed her ground strokes beautifully and played a smart game, nearly invariably choosing the right shot at the right time.
After 186 consecutive weeks as the world’s top-ranked player, Williams, who needed to reach the final to have any chance of retaining top spot, will relinquish the ranking to Angelique Kerber.
But at the outset of this final, it was Kerber who was in charge.
But now she’s on an 11-match winning streak.
Kerber would have overtaken Williams for the top spot had she defeated Pliskova in the Cincinnati final August 21. If I was exhausted I should definitely get into a new career.
Pliskova was a successful junior who beat Britain’s Laura Robson in the girls’ final at the Australian Open six years ago. “She doesn’t give you anything”.
Kerber won the toss and elected to receive, perhaps for two reasons: Her serve is the biggest question mark in her otherwise solid game, and it made sense to force Pliskova to deal with an early test of nerves.
One of the few players on tour who can come close to Williams in serving power, Pliskova had four aces and won 86 percent of the points on her first serve.
But Pliskova hung in there.
“Even when she was down a set and break she was still fighting”.
Now it was a match, filled with terrific points, tense moments and plenty of emotion. Having taken the first set with something to spare, she regrouped in the second set after dropping her serve to love immediately after breaking in the fifth game.
The lefty reached her third major final this year and will next face Pliskova on Saturday in a rematch of the final at Cincinnati almost three weeks earlier. Moments later, she trailed 3-1. Pliskova served out the second set – the only one dropped by Kerber all tournament – and spiked a ball. She definitely has a target on her back now.
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Last year Vinci, the world No 43, ended Williams’ hopes of becoming only the fourth woman in history to complete a pure calendar-year Grand Slam following her triumphs at Wimbledon and the Australian and French Opens.
