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US Open: Kerber now No.1 as Serena is knocked out

A bad left knee?

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Began playing tennis at the age of four and went on to win the girls’ singles title at the 2010 Australian Open where she beat Britain’s Laura Robson in the final. “I think if she had played any less then maybe I would have had a chance”.

“So many simple, simple shots that I easily could have made”. When he plays well and has the right attitude I enjoy because he is different from the others. In the fourth round she beat Venus Williams after saving a match point. The Czech star has never gone past the third round of a major tournament before and insists Williams’ injury should not take the gloss off her achievement.

Pliskova showed her happiness in the post-match interaction with the media wing as she told ” I don’t believe it. Beating Serena Williams is a big thing for me as she is a great champion”. “As soon as she started, it was awful”.

Kerber has yet to lose a set in Flushing Meadows, but she has not faced the service firepower possessed by Pliskova, who has led the WTA Tour in aces the last two seasons as well as at this last grand slam of the year.

Williams, whose 22 grand slam titles has her tied with Steffi Graf, was bidding to break the professional era record with victory in NY. While she knows she’ll feel the nerves of her first major final, Pliskova has already weathered the hostile crowds on Arthur Ashe stadium in her victories over the Williams sisters and says she’s ready for anything.

While Pliskova cruised through her quarter-final against Croatia’s Ana Konjuh on Wednesday, Williams was made to work hard by fifth seed Simona Halep, before winning in three sets. She hit 31 unforced errors in the match, broken three times and double faulting six, including on match point down.

Pliskova – who had never been beyond the third round of a grand slam before this tournament – dominated the first set, breaking Williams twice and holding all of her games with a strong serve.

“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 number one”. “Before the match I felt a little bit like pressure, a bit nervous”.

This year, the spirit of NY has possessed Karolina Pliskova.

Williams, who clutched at her left hamstring occasionally in the second set, double-faulted to end it.

The loss meant American Serena will have to relinquish her top rank to German Angelique Kerber who reached the title round beating Dane Caroline Wozniacki.

On Friday morning, Angelique Kerber defeated Caroline Wozniacki 6-4, 6-3, in a relatively straightforward encounter. In her match against the rejuvenated Caroline Wozniacki, the German displayed a performance of thoroughness, sweeping away the Dane in an nearly brutal way.

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I lost to her. “She deserved to win”.

Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic left shakes