For the second straight year Serena Williams saw her bid for a seventh US Open title halted in the semifinals with a 2-6, 6-7 (5-7) loss to Karolina Pliskova here Thursday that also ended her long reign of 186 weeks as World No.1.
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Angelique Kerber moved into her third grand slam final of the year Thursday with a comfortable semifinal win over Caroline Wozniacki at the U.S. Open.
She defeated Williams to win her maiden Grand Slam title at the Australian Open, and followed up by advancing to the Wimbledon final and capturing a silver medal in singles at the Olympics.
Kerber plays Czech Karolina Pliskova in the championship match at Flushing Meadows, knowing she will take Serena Williams’ place at the top of the rankings regardless of the outcome. “I’m a professional player, been playing for over 20 years”, Williams said.
“I think if she had played any less then maybe I would have had a chance”.
German second-seed Angelique Kerber, who will face Pliskova in the final on Saturday, is set to overtake Williams in the world rankings.
In the fourth round Pliskova beat Williams’ sister, Venus, after saving a match point. My mind was everywhere.
But a cool Pliskova would not buckle and earned the victory when Williams double faulted.
But at the end I know how I was playing in Cincinnati.
“To beat Serena, she’s world No. 1, so it’s always tough to beat someone like this”. Though she was able to hold and force Kerber to serve for the set, an error-filled final game handed Kerber the set.
Pliskova until this week had never played beyond the third round of a grand slam.
“It was not so easy to go then on court, because I knew it actually before that if Serena lost, of course, that I will be the No.1. I just blame that on thinking about my leg and just not thinking about the shot”. Pliskova also returns well, often sending stinging responses right at Williams’ feet, leaving her no time to react properly.
“I don’t remember having seen her move so slowly ever”, her coach Patrick Mouratoglou told reporters. “If I was exhausted, I should definitely get into a new career”.
“If someone is not ready and she doesn’t think she is ready, she should not go on the court”.
“When you’re hampered, you’re thinking of other things”.
It is also a place the Williams sisters, with eight U.S. Open singles titles between them, consider home for nearly two decades where rude guests like Pliskova are made to feel unwelcome.
Although Williams injured her left knee earlier in the U.S. Open, she didn’t use it as an excuse for the loss.
She also said she wants to try to control points more than she did the last time she faced Pliskova.
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Speaking after the game, Serena congratulated Pliskova for her victory.
