Eight months later brought her to world number one.
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For Pliskova, who will rise to No.6 in the rankings after the loss, there’s no sadness or regrets after competing in such a high-quality, closely contested major final, the first of her career.
Entering the U.S. Open final on Saturday, Angelique Kerber already had wrested the No. 1 ranking in the world from Serena Williams.
The second-seed showcased a gritty performance as she rallied from a break down in the third set to surpass the hard-hitting 10th-seeded Karolina Pliskova of Czech Republic 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 in the summit showdown that lasted two hours and seven minutes.
“Now after I can relax a little bit and try to enjoy this special night today”, she added.
“I have to move good, to bring a lot of balls back, and playing also more aggressive [than] I played in Cincinnati”, Kerber told Tennis.com.
She was four for five on break-point opportunities, overall. Was just about a few points.
The German broke in the first game of the contest on Arthur Ashe Stadium and then broke the big Pliskova serve again to clinch the first set.
He said she spent far less time than usual warming up for the match, after getting treatment much of the day.
“I can not play 30 times across the net. This was what I was trying to improving with the pressure”.
A few big ones in Melbourne, Paris, London and NY, she hopes, come 2017.
Kerber is the first woman from Germany to win the U.S. Open – and the first to get to No. 1 – since her idol and mentor, Steffi Graf, who got in touch via text message before the final.
Early in what would become a tight test of a U.S. Open final, Angelique Kerber sprinted forward to somehow reach a drop shot and scoop a down-the-line victor that landed in a corner of the court.
She would make the Wimbledon final against Serena and play close to her best tennis.
“When I was really young I was always dreaming of being World No.1”, Kerber said. “I don’t know if I was prepared for this, but I think I played an unbelievable year”.
The quick advantage gave Kerber plenty of breathing room.
“It was a great match”, she said afterwards.
“I heard from her yesterday (Friday) or like two days ago”. On triple match point, she whistled a forehand wide.
Like Pliskova, Kerber had never progressed beyond the third round at grand slams until then.
She may be in unfamiliar ground in the second week of a Grand Slam, but in Kerber she’ll face a well-known foe.
Her serve is a weakness: She was broken while serving for the match against Wozniacki, for example, and lost three service games in the first set alone of her quarterfinal against 2015 runner-up Roberta Vinci.
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The lanky, 24-year-old Czech said that with her mounting confidence, and big serve, she can go all the way. She had an opponent who knew the way through a Grand Slam final third set, with Kerber having weathered one in Australia with Serena Williams, the hardest test the sport can offer in this era.
