Karolina kicked out Serena in US Open 2016 Women’s single semifinals with 6-2, 7-6 and booked a slot in finals.
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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. “I wasn’t exhausted from yesterday’s match”, she said.
“I don’t blame anything today”, Williams said, going on to explain that her injury did not have anything to do with the fact that she played on back-to-back nights for the first time this U.S. Open.
Kerber – the Australian Open champion who also finished as runner-up at Wimbledon – confessed that stepping onto the court knowing she was world number one made it hard to concentrate. She deserved to win today. She will go out there and try and win her first Grand Slam, but at the end I will try the same.
It will be Pliskova’s first appearance in a Grand Slam final while Australian Open champion Kerber will be in her third of the year having finished runner-up to Williams at Wimbledon.
“For me, it’s just incredible to be after Steffi the next number one player in Germany”, said Kerber, who at 28 will become the oldest player to reach number one.
Serena had needed to make the final and beat Kerber if she was to retain her World No.1 status.
And despite any extra pressure as a result, German 28-year-old Kerber still managed to focus on the task in hand as she defeated Wozniacki 6-4, 6-3 in one hour and 26 minutes to book a place in Saturday’s final.
Pliskova said: “It was always a dream to get a title, get to the semi-final, get to the final”. Like I was making errors I never make.
Wozniacki recovered to go on a three-game run, with both players upping the standard of play as they found their feet.
ON THIS DATE (Sept. 9, 1968): Arthur Ashe beats Tom Okker 14-12, 5-7, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 to win the first USA men’s singles title of the Open era.
Kerber took down Caroline Wozniacki 6-4, 6-3 to earn a spot in her third Grand Slam final this year.
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“To be honest, I don’t remember that”, Williams said of the early miscues. I just, you know, wanted to win, actually. When you’re injured you’re thinking of other things when you should be just playing and thinking of your shots.
