“For me, it’s just wonderful to be after Steffi the next No.1 player in Germany”, said Kerber, who at 28 will become the oldest player to reach No.1.
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The 28-year-old left-hander, who won the Australian Open in January and was Wimbledon runner-up in July, is the first German woman to reach the final in NY since Steffi Graf in 1996.
Pliskova went into the match on a 10-match winning streak, and with the most aces on the WTA Tour this year, and it was that shot which carried the Czech to victory.
If you handicap this match based off what both players have done in the their careers, especially this year, Kerber should win in a landslide.
“We played a lot of times”, Pliskova said.
Speaking at a press conference after the game, Williams congratulated Pliskova for her brilliant performance, but also said a left knee injury had affected her game.
Pliskova will take her spot in a first ever Grand Slam final and looks to edge the reigning Australian Open champion. I hope I didn’t stop yet, that there is still one more step to go. “Like I was making errors that I never make, and definitely I didn’t make in this tournament in particular”, said Williams, a six-time US Open victor. “But at the end of the day, I don’t think it would have made a difference”.
When asked about her health and how she was feeling after her victory on Wednesday, Williams, the last American to be eliminated, admitted that she wasn’t 100% but noted, “I’m OK”. It doesn’t happen often that you- “re in the final of Grand Slams”. “I thought she served well and that was definitely a big thing for her”. “I’m a professional player and have been playing for over 20 years”.
The world number 11 had never gone past the third round of a major tournament before but she simply outplayed Williams at her own game, with power, aggression and a blistering serve.
“For me, it’s just wonderful to be after Steffi the next No 1 player in Germany. I was prepared for anything, even if I would have lose the second set I would be ready for the third”.
“It is awesome to be in the US Open final and to beat Serena because she is a champion”.
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By summoning some incredible poise to handle the pressure, she became the first Czech woman to reach the US Open final since Helena Sukova in 1993. I knew it would be tough because I know Pliskova has been playing very good in the last few weeks. “To be now the No.1 in the world, that was always a dream for me”, she added.
