Hong Kong-bound Angelique Kerber downs Caroline Wozniacki for place in US Open final

New world number one will face Serena Williams’ conqueror Karolina Pliskova in Flushing Meadows final

US Open (tennis)

Agence France-Presse

Published: 11:29am, 9 Sep 2016

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Angelique Kerber marked her elevation to the world number one ranking by reaching the US Open final on Friday with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Caroline Wozniacki.

The 28-year-old left-hander, who won the Australian Open in January and was Wimbledon runner-up in July, is the first German woman to reach the final in New York since Steffi Graf in 1996.

She will emulate Graf as US Open champion if she gets the better of Karolina Pliskova, who stunned Serena Williams 6-2, 7-6 (7-5) in her semi-final, in Saturday’s championship match.

Graf is also the only other German woman to achieve the top ranking.

“It’s incredible to be in the final and to be the world number one, it’s a great day,” said Kerber, who will return to Hong Kong in October to participate in the Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open. Wozniacki has also signed up to play at the Victoria Park tournament, her first visit to the city since 2011.

The German leads Pliskova 4-3 in their head to heads, but the Czech won their most recent meeting in the Cincinnati final last month.

Wozniacki is still looking for her first major title. Photo: AFP

Just moments after becoming the oldest first-time world number one, Kerber raced out of the blocks against the Dane, a two-time runner-up at the tournament.

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Two breaks of serve gave her a 4-0 lead after just 15 minutes, conceding only five points in the process and she had two more break points in the fifth which a desperately scrambling Wozniacki saved to finally get on the board.

Kerber will become the world number one when the rankings are updated on Monday. Photo: EPA

The 26-year-old Wozniacki, a former number one, consulted a page of scribbled notes in the changeover and the handy hints proved just that as she retrieved a break to go 2-4.

Wozniacki saved two set points in the ninth game but the German left-hander secured the opener on serve at the next time of asking.

Wozniacki is a former world number one but is currently ranked 74 in the world after an injury-hit season. Photo: EPA

Wozniacki, down at 74 in the world after missing almost three months of the season with an ankle injury, had refused on the eve of her fifth semi-final in New York to dampen speculation that she was on the brink of announcing her retirement.

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She certainly appeared to have her mind elsewhere as she slipped 2-0 down in the second set before a 27-shot rally in the third game helped her open her account.

Kerber was ruthless in her pursuit, breaking again for a 4-1 lead before she cracked when serving for the match, getting broken to love.

Good friends Kerber and Wozniacki embrace after their semi-final match. Photo: AFP

It was a brief respite as she then broke for the fifth time in the match to march into a third Grand Slam final of the year.

Wozniacki at least has the consolation of knowing her surprise run to a fifth semi-final in the city where she keeps a second home will translate to a place back in the world top 30.

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