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Serena out in semis again; Kerber goes top
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FOR the second year in a row, Serena Williams’ bid to make history ended with a shocking loss in the US Open semifinals.
A seventh title at Flushing Meadows, which would have been an Open-era record, will have to wait. So will a 23rd grand slam championship, another record. And her 3 1/2-year reign at No. 1 in the WTA rankings is over, too, one week shy of what would have been yet another mark.
Undone by a half-dozen double-faults, including on match point, and plenty of other mistakes she blamed in part on dealing with an injured left knee, Williams was upset 2-6, 6-7 (5) by big-serving Karolina Pliskova on Thursday night.
“Karolina played great today. I think if she had played any less, then maybe I would have had a chance,” Williams said. “So I think I wasn’t at 100 percent, but I also think she played well. She deserved to win today.”
The 10th-seeded Pliskova, who will play No. 2 Angelique Kerber of Germany for the title today, began her on-court interview by blurting out that she couldn’t believe she’d eliminated Williams to earn a spot in her first major final. Then the Czech changed course, saying: “I mean, actually, I do believe it. I always knew I have a chance to beat anyone if I’m playing my game.”
At the 2015 US Open, Williams’ bid for a calendar-year grand slam ended when she lost in the semifinals to unseeded Roberta Vinci of Italy in one of the biggest surprises in tennis history. This one goes pretty high on the list, too.
This was the 33rd major semifinal of Williams’ career, and the first for Pliskova, who beat the 34-year-old American’s older sister Venus in the fourth round after staving off a match point. Pliskova is only the fourth woman to beat both Williams siblings during the same slam.
“Obviously, the match with Venus helped me ... not only with the game, but also with the crowd,” Pliskova said. “Was my first match on center court.”
And to think: The 24-year-old Pliskova had never been past the third round in 17 previous appearances at majors.
But now she’s on an 11-match winning streak. “One more step to go,” she said.
Kerber reached her third grand slam final of the season — and of her career — by beating two-time US Open runner-up Caroline Wozniacki 6-4, 6-3. Kerber beat Williams in the Australian Open final in January, then lost to her in the Wimbledon final in July.
Regardless of today’s outcome, Kerber will move up one spot to No. 1 on Monday, ending Williams’ stay of 186 consecutive weeks, exactly the same number Steffi Graf compiled for the record.
Kerber, who becomes the only German woman other than Graf to get to No. 1, had a chance to overtake Williams last month by winning a hardcourt tournament in Ohio, but lost the final there to Pliskova.
“For sure, she has a lot of confidence. Now, especially, after the win against Serena,” Kerber said about Pliskova. “I know how I was playing in Cincinnati. I know what to change.”
Williams and Graf also share the mark for most grand slam titles since 1968, when professionals were first admitted to the majors. And Williams remains even with Chris Evert with six US Open trophies.
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