Kerber’s title shows she’s the one
NEW YORK — Early in what would become a tight test of a U.S. Open final, Angelique Kerber sprinted forward to somehow reach a drop shot and scoop a down-the-line winner.
The Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd roared, and Kerber celebrated by raising her right hand and wagging her index finger in the air, as if to remind opponent Karolina Plis- kova — and everyone else —“I’m No. 1!”
Yes, she is. And a twotime Grand Slam champion, too.
Kerber won her first U.S. Open title and the second major trophy of her outof-nowhere breakthrough season, taking five of the last six games to beat a fading Pliskova 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 on Saturday.
“It means a lot to me. When I was a kid, I was always dreaming to one day be the No. 1 player in the world, to win Grand Slams,” said Kerber, a 28-year-old German who will move up one spot from No. 2 and replace Serena Williams atop the WTA rankings on Monday. “I mean, all the dreams came true this year, and I’m just trying to enjoy every moment on court and also off court.”
The No. 2-seeded Kerber trailed by a break at 3-1 in the third set before coming back against Pliskova, a 24-year-old Czech who was seeded 10th and hadn’t been past the third round at a major until this tournament.
Kerber is the first woman from Germany to win the U.S. Open — and to get to No. 1 — since her idol and mentor, Steffi Graf.
Kerber, who collected $3.5 million in prize money, lost to Pliskova the last time they met. But at the outset of this final, it was Kerber who was in charge.
Kerber would make Pliskova swing extra times to try to end a point. Pliskova made 17 unforced errors in the first set alone, 14 more than Kerber. By the conclusion of the 2-hour, 7-minute final, Pliskova totaled 47 unforced errors.
“I was really trying to (stay) in the moment,” Kerber said, “trying to play my game, being aggressive.”
“She really proved she’s No. 1,” Pliskova said.
The men’s final Sunday will pit No. 1 Novak Djokovic against No. 3 Stan Wawrinka.