She is replaced by Angelique Kerber at the top spot, after the German beat Dane Caroline Wozniacki 6-4, 6-3 to set up the decider with the 24-year-old.
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The 34-year-old double faulted when facing match point in the second set tiebreak, which was met with a muted response from the American audience and wild celebrations from the Eastern European.
“There is not more than to beat both sisters in one tournament in NY”, she said.
Williams said she was carrying a knee injury but conceded that her opponent was better than her. I just, you know, wanted to win, actually. “When you’re injured, you’re thinking of other things when you should just be playing and thinking of your shots. But it was what it was”. A period of adjustment followed, with opening match defeats in Madrid, Rome and Paris but she was back in the championship match again at Wimbledon, where Serena avenged her Melbourne defeat.
For the second straight year, Serena Williams was upset in the US Open semifinals. “I don’t care who I play in the final”. “Her priority is to win Grand Slams”.
Both said it was too soon to say how it might affect Williams’s schedule for the rest of the year. I’m really happy to be there and even have the chance to play in the final here.
“Okay, I’m not going to repeat myself”. Also, Kerber becomes the second German to earn No. 1 after Graf.
– At 186 consecutive weeks, the American’s most recent stay at No.1 ties the Open Era record for most consecutive weeks at No.1 held by Graf.
“That shows me also that I think I’m growing and I’m not putting the pressure on my shoulders if something like this happens”, Kerber said.
With her mind on the injury, Williams’ game went awry.
Two breaks of serve gave her a 4-0 lead after just 15 minutes, conceding only five points in the process and she had two more break points in the fifth which a desperately scrambling Wozniacki saved to finally get on the board.
Karolina Pliskova, who had earlier knocked the sixth-seeded Venus Williams out of the tournament, said she was thrilled with her effort.
Kerber said she will learn the lessons from her loss to the Czech, who has won 11 matches in a row and had never been beyond the third round of a major before arriving in NY.
She won the Australian Open in January, before losing at SW19 to defending champion Serena Williams in July.
Williams had to back up from her three-set quarter-final win against Romania’s Simona Halep yesterday, and has to call the trainer out during today’s match to work on her leg.
She also insisted that fatigue was not the reason for her defeat. “Sometimes it is like this”.
“I mean, there is not more than to beat both sisters in one tournament in NY”, said Pliskova.
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Newly-minted world No. 1 Angelique Kerber will be out for revenge on Saturday when she takes on first-time grand slam finalist Karolina Pliskova in the US Open title match. As Kerber gets ready to wear the No 1 crown, she would love to celebrate the occasion with the US Open title.
