Angelique Kerber found her way to yet another final in a major Thursday night. The newly crowned world number one took care of Caroline Wozniacki winning in straight sets 6-4, 6-3 at Arthur Ashe Stadium. The 28-year-old German advanced to her first appearance at a US Open final making it her third major final this season.
A critical game for the two came as their 13th with the German leading the series over a span of eight years. Wozniacki had shown a tremendous fight in the final major of the season proving that despite her low rank, she was worthy of playing against the best thereby being the best. Aside from her four strong wins in straight sets playing, Kerber became the biggest challenge as the number two seed had a lot on the line herself.
To become the new world number one player in the world, Kerber went on a journey that had one eye on winning her matches while the other fixed on Serena Williams. The current number one was on a collision course needing to win her semifinal match as well. With the massive upset she took against Karolina Pliskova, the German had the number one ranking even before stepping on the court where she would no doubt remain focused.
She came out of the gate with a burst of speed taking a perfect break off Wozniacki who opened service. She managed to get a point from the German but soon found herself down 2-0. She put a hard fight in the third getting into deuce with Kerber but holding down the serve continued to prove difficult going down three straight.
It was quickly 4-0 for Kerber who was on a tear capturing 18 points while holding Wozniacki to just five. The Dane’s six unforced errors added momentum to the newly ranked number one player who eyed taking the set. In a surprise return to action, Wozniacki somehow held service in the fifth once again fighting the German on deuce before getting the win.
The memory of her comeback against Kuznetsova began to take shape again as Wozniacki held her first break of serve against Kerber. The margin was cut in half with the Dane looking to get within reach. She made it a reality after seven games where the wave of leverage clear stood on her end with the chance to level for the first time in the set.
Knowing the consequences of losing all the ground she gained, Kerber put an end to Wozniacki’s way and held an important service of the eighth to put pressure on her opponent in the ninth. The former number one responded with a big service to sit a game down turning the heat on the second seed who couldn’t afford to drop more. A strong finish for Kerber gave her a comfortable finish in the tenth getting the double set point with a forehand error from Wozniacki ending 45 minutes.
It was the 12th from the Dane against Kerber who wasn’t too far away with ten of her own. The difference maker came down to strong service percentages which Kerber led on both aspects of the offense.
She remained on key even when Wozniacki made a change of rackets in the second set. It was a progress of her winning streak climbing to three games with the service hold. It came to an end by Wozniacki who watched Kerber make a mistake during a rally that opened the door for her. She answered by getting on the board in the third hoping to build on the victory. She wasn’t allowed to do so even when she gave Kerber a pair of dramatic rallies. In the end, it was another 4-1 rout of the set with the German two games from a finals appearance.
The pressure was on Wozniacki to stay alive by any means in the sixth but the strong force across court didn’t give her that opportunity. She was forced to serve Kerber up for a chance at the match but instead held serve winning her second game of the set. Kerber watched herself break under the pressure and hand Wozniacki another victory putting her two games back. Wozniacki got the ball back in hand gaining the opening point. She watched the second seed turn a rally with a drop shot followed by a high lob that Wozniacki wouldn’t get to. In the end, she got it putting the serve back on Kerber for a second time to get the job done.
Wozniacki made Kerber earn every point forcing her to deuce but despite the dramatic ending to the rallies, it was Kerber who won her way to the final with a shot landing long of the baseline to end the 1 hour and 26-minute match. “I was trying to play and focus on this match because I know tough Caroline is a great player and it's always to play against her,” Kerber said to ESPN’s Pam Shriver. “To be here in the final for the first time it means a lot and to be number one in the world sounds amazing.”
She became the 22nd player in the WTA to capture the number one spot and the second German since Steffi Graf. “For me, it’s just amazing to be after Steffi the next number one player in Germany. Steffi is a great champion, she’s a great person and I think she’s proud of me to be the next one after her.”
With the final set against Pliskova, the 28-year-old who was a huge dominance in WTA events goes for one her best runs this season to go for a second career major title. “I will try to take the revenge against her again,” Kerber said. “She has a big serve and I will try to give my best and enjoy my first final here and try to win the match of course.”
Photo by: Mike Stobe/Getty Images
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