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 to a corner.
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“It’s always tough going in the final when I know the opponent beat me two or three weeks ago”, she said.
Kerber beat Karolina Pliskova 6-3 4-6 6-4 in Arthur Ashe Stadium on Saturday to edge a nail-biting final and seal her second grand slam title this year. “I mean, especially, because for me starts everything here. When I was a kid, I was always dreaming to one day be the No. 1 player in the world, to win Grand Slams”, said Kerber, a 28-year-old German who will move up one spot from No. 2 and replace Serena Williams atop the WTA rankings on Monday. “I mean, all the dreams came true this year”.
“So I was just happy that I made it even this far”. Because I know that when I’m practicing I can be aggressive.
“I was thinking, OK, now I can even lose in the first or second round of the US Open, but I was able to take the game from Cincinnati here”.
The Czech player could become a constant threat to other top women, said Mary Jo Fernandez, a former world number four and a well known tennis commentator.
The German left-hander secured the title by proving steadier under duress than the more powerful and less experienced No 10 seed, Karolina Pliskova: winning an entertaining and draining final 6-3 4-6 6-4.
“It didn’t look good”, Beltz said about the deficit. “Now I can take the next step and try to stay as long as I can there”.
“I think that was the key at the end of the third set, that I was trying to take the chance, just go for it”.
Pliskova, gaining in confidence, grabbed her first break of the match for a 4-3 lead, lofting a lob over the dejected German. Her defense is exemplary, scrambling along the baseline to put her racket on seemingly every ball, crouching so low that her knees would come close to scraping the ground.
But she fought back in the third set and wore down the towering Czech, who started to wilt in the punishing conditions, hunching over her racket at the end of nearly every point. The Czech made 17 unforced errors in the first set but fought back with 17 winners in the second before powering 3-1 ahead in the decider. “Then she has the whole court open”, said Pliskova.
The match opened with Kerber breaking a jittery Pliskova and ended the same way.
But Pliskova hung in there.
Kerber, sensing an opening, stepped up the pressure and pace getting triple break point at 5-4 and closed out the contest on the first match point.
Now it was a match, filled with terrific points, tense moments and plenty of emotion. On one that went 15 shots, Pliskova tried a drop shot that Kerber sprinted to reach before scooping a down-the-line forehand victor to a corner.
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Angelique Kerber is one set from her second major title of 2016. No. 3 Stan Wawrinka; Women’s Doubles Final: No. 1 Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic vs. Her rivalry with the American may be just beginning.
