After her shock defeat to Karolina Pliskova at the US Open, Serena Williams gave a candid post-match press conference.
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A seventh title at Flushing Meadows, which would have been an Open-era record, will have to wait. “It doesn’t happen often that you’re in the final of Grand Slams”.
Kerber on Monday will become the only second German woman after Steffi Graf to reach the WTA top ranking.
“Karolina played great today”.
“I will try to take the revenge against her”, said Kerber, who holds a 4-3 career edge over the big-serving Pliskova.
“I will try to take my revenge against her”, said Kerber, who first broke through at the majors in NY in 2011, arriving as the world No 92 in 2011 to reach the semis.
She is chasing a 12th win in a row, obliterated Williams with her deadly serve and also beat Kerber only last month en route to winning the title in Cincinnati. With the loss, Williams loses the world No. 1 ranking to Angelique Kerber, who advanced to the final with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Caroline Wozniacki. Actually, I do believe it.
“I knew I had the chance to beat anyone if I played my game”. “There is still one more step to go”.
It took Williams 50 minutes to get her first break point as Pliskova quashed her returns, while attacking the American’s second serve.
Pliskova became only the fourth singles player to beat both Serena and Venus Williams in the same Grand Slam event.
“Even my game I think was a little bit better against Venus”. “Was my first match on center court”.
The 28-year-old has enjoyed the 2016 campaign after reaching three Grand Slam finals so far.
Simona Halep did something no one else was able to do against Serena Williams at the US Open on Wednesday but still could not stop the world number one from advancing to the semi-finals of the year’s final grand slam. “She gets a lot of balls back”.
Pliskova was asked if it bothered her that Serena and her coach both mentioned the injury.
Asked about her ranking, she retorted: ‘I don’t talk about that whatsoever’. “I know what to change”, Kerber said.
Kerber is into her third major final of the year after dispatching Caroline Wozniacki in straight sets at the U.S. Open.
The temperature was in the low 80s, and the air was muggy, and Williams kept using the pleats of her black-and-pink skirt to wipe her sweaty palms between points.
The 24-year-old Czech tennis star beat the 34-year-old Williams 6-2, 7-6 to make it to the finals of the Open.
But then Serena’s famous serve let her down, committing two double faults to allow Pliskova to be the first Czech woman into a US Open final since Helena Sukova in 1993.
“When you’re hampered you’re thinking of other things”, said the American, a six-time US Open champion.
Wozniacki struck more winners – 21-19 – but it was not enough to make up for her higher unforced error count.
“I don’t see how it’s not fair”, Williams said.
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“For me, it’s just awesome to be, after Steffi, the next number one player in Germany”.
