For Kerber it is her chance to claim her second grand slam women’s singles title of the year after also being victorious at the Australian Open.
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Pliskova paved the way for Kerber’s ascent, which will become official in Monday’s new rankings list, by defeating Serena Williams in the U.S. Open semi-finals to clinch number one for the German. “I was trying to not think too much the whole last few weeks about this, and now I reach it. I knew [how to play one of the Williams sisters] against all the people there, so I was prepared for it [when she beat Serena]”.
At the 2016 Australian Open, she reached the third round for a second successive year but again lost to Russian Makarova. (She beat Williams in Melbourne and lost to her at Wimble-don.) But the US Open has thrown up some unexpected champions of late, including Sam Stosur and Flavia Pennetta, so a win for Pliskova – the 10th seed here – would hardly be the shock of the decade.
If Karolina Pliskova lifts the trophy on Saturday night, she will complete a carousel of four different women to triumph in this year’s Grand Slams. The 24-year-old preferred to focus on finally making a Slam championship match after never making it past the third round of a major in 17 prior attempts. Her confidence will be sky-high, but it could be tricky for Pliskova to keep her mind quiet so that she might summon the magic of her breathtaking power game for one last big match in the final.
Pliskova may be the underdog but she is also the player in form, having out-gunned Williams to seal her 11th win in a row. But as is the case for Kerber, her build towards No.1 and Saturday’s final has been far quieter, more workmanlike and unassuming in its reliability. Now she tries to win her first Open. Then Pliskova changed course, saying: “I mean, actually, I do believe it”.
Kerber is a left-hander who has tennis’ best retrieving game.
Kerber, 2016: 53-14, 8-3 vs. After saving a match point to slide by Venus Williams in the round of 16, she powered past 18-year-old Ana Konjuh before shocking Serena Williams in the semis. Little gets past her on the baseline, speedy because of sturdy legs, and she’s worked to be more aggressive in the recent past. Pliskova, the first Czech woman in the US Open final since Helena Sukova in 1993, said she had not noticed that her opponent was carrying an injury. For one who reached so many finals, Pliskova’s inability to channel that momentum into major victories was puzzling at best, worrying at worst.
“That was always a dream for me”, the No. 2-seeded Kerber said after beating Caroline Wozniacki 6-4, 6-3 in the semifinals Thursday night, when 10th-seeded Pliskova upset Williams 6-2, 7-6 (5). “If it’s somewhere close to the sea, I try to go there, or go shopping, go to the cinema, go to some musicals or visit something special – like when you are in Paris you go to the Eiffel Tower”.
“No, I think that was once and that was OK”, she said when asked about taking another victory plunge. And therefore if the American is able to put up a decent enough display until the turn of the year or even till the start of the WTA finals, she will be able to end the season as the World No 1 for a fifth straight year.
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Her success on the tour has comfortably compensated for her dislike of school with career earnings of $5.3m which will be boosted by $4.64 million if she wins the US Open.
