The last time the two women’s finalists at this US Open, Angelique Kerber of Germany and Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic, played each other, it really was no contest.
Pliskova dominated the higher-ranked and more-experienced Kerber, not merely winning in straight sets, but dropping only four games along the way.
Like Saturday’s match-up, the one three weeks ago was played on a hard court.
• More: Pliskova looks for second straight No1 upset | Djokovic v Wawrinka in men's final
Like Saturday, there was a title at stake.
There are, however, some key differences, including that the earlier one was at a run-of-the-mill event and the upcoming one is at a grand slam tournament. And, perhaps most significantly of all when it comes to the outcome this time, when Kerber lost at Cincinnati in August, she knew she had to win to make her debut at No 1 in the WTA rankings – whereas now, she is guaranteed of wresting the top spot from Serena Williams on Monday, regardless of what happens in Arthur Ashe Stadium.
So while there is still a lot on the line, of course — millions of dollars, a major trophy — Kerber does not have to deal with the pressure of trying to ascend to No 1. She is already assured of that.
“That was always a dream for me,” the No 2-seeded Kerber said after beating Caroline Wozniacki 6-4, 6-3 in the semi-finals Thursday night, when 10th-seeded Pliskova upset Williams 6-2, 7-6. “I was trying to not think too much the whole last few weeks about this, and now I reach it. So it’s something really special for me.”
All in all, it’s been quite a special 2016 for Kerber.
This will be her third appearance in a grand slam title match: She beat Williams in the Australian Open final in January, then lost to the American in the Wimbledon final in July.
Kerber has a tour-leading 53 match wins, two titles and now three runs to major finals this season, which accounts for her move up.
“She gets a lot of balls back. She also knows how to change the pace. She gets good angles. And, yeah, she’s playing really well,” said Wozniacki, who spent 67 weeks atop the WTA, finishing 2010 and 2011 at No 1.
“You know, it’s not a lot of people who have been No 1. It’s a huge thing. She definitely has a target on her back now. Everyone wants to beat the No 1 player in the world. She’s going to enjoy it. First, she has a match here that she’s focused on.”
Order of play on main court at the US Open on (x denotes seeded player):
Men’s doubles final
Arthur Ashe Stadium
• Jamie Murray/Bruno Soares (GBR/BRA x4) v Pablo Carreno Busta/Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (ESP), Saturday, 8pm
Women’s singles final
• Karolina Pliskova (CZE x10) v Angelique Kerber (GER x2), midnight
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