Right, so the final grand slam of the season, the US Open is now starting to draw to a close and in this post I will be looking at the ladies semi final matches and how they went and also my prediction for the final.
So without further messing about let's get going......
SEMI FINALS
Serena Williams vs Karolina Pliskova
So to start off the first semi final was between the World No.1, Serena Williams and the 10th seed, Karolina Pliskova. This match had alot riding on it for both players as Serena was looking to hold onto her No.1 ranking and she would need to win the match in order to do so, whereas Pliskova was looking to reach her first grand slam final.
And on paper the match looked to be foregone conclusion that Serena would come out on top, however it wasn't to be the case as Pliskova in the 1st set really came out firing as she went a double break up against an ailing Serena, who appeared to be struggling with a knee injuy and Pliskova nabbed the opener. In the 2nd set however it was a much tighter affair as Serena battled back against the 10th seed and play was pushed into a tiebreak. But it proved to be not enough for Serena as she surrendered her serve and the match with a double fault, which saw her not only lose the match but also her No.1 ranking with it. And this meant that Pliskova sealed her place in his first ever grand slam final with a remarkable 6-2, 7-6 (7-5) win.
Well this really was a shock loss for Serena who look to better Stefi Graff's record of 22 slams, which would have made Serena the most successful player in the open era of the sport, however in the end it was not to be.
As for Pliskova, well this was a terrific result and a great achievement as she has reached her first grand slam final and she has been a player who has risen up in the rankings this year so far. And right now given her form, I would not write off Pliskova's chances for the final but I will get on to that a bit later.
Angelique Kerber vs Caroline Wozniacki
So next up was the other semi final, which saw the World No.2, Angelique Kerber take on the former World No.1, Caroline Wozniacki. Kerber had alot riding on this match too as she was looking to grab the top spot in the sport from Serena Williams and after Serena was defeated by Pliskova it ensured that Kerber would indeed become the No.1.
So suffice to say that Kerber went into this match with alot of motivation and it also helped her out quite a bit as she showed great form against a resurgent Caroline Wozniacki. However whatever Caroline had what simply not enough as Kerber went on to beat her rival in straight sets to claim the No.1 spot and her place in the final with a commanding 6-4, 6-3 win.
Well there was little doubt that Kerber would win this match as she has been in great form all year and now she has the top ranking to prove it and it would be difficult to not see her claim her second slam of the season by the end of the tournament.
As for Caroline however it was disappointing that she was not able to make it a closer match but she has managed to rediscover her form again with her great run at the US Open and reaching the last four is a terrific effort from her. Not only that, Caroline's run in New York will see her return to the top 30 next week in the rankings as she will be ranked 29 in the world as of Monday, which is great to see and hopefully she will soon be able to get back into the top 10.
FINAL PREDICTIONS
Right so now onto the ladies final prediction that will see Angelique Kerber take on Karoline Pliskova for the title. So how will it go???? Well this is actually a tough one to fully predict as their head to head is very close with Kerber leading 4-3 so there isn't much between them.
However there are one or two things to consider regarding Pliskova as she did beat Kerber in their previous match in the Cincinnati final where Kerber would have become No.1 if she had won the title. Pliskova has also put in a great run at the US Open and she has beaten both the Williams sisters enroute to get to the final and has shown a great deal of grit and determination so far that could see her lift the title.
Kerber on the other hand has been the most consistent player on the tour this year and she has already claimed her first grand slam at the Australian open earlier this season and reached the final at Wimbledon. And now that Kerber is No.1 she is bound to be feeling very confident going into this match with it all to play for.
But as for my final prediction......well I have to side with Kerber as I really think she has shown what a great and consistent player she has become throughout the year. I also think he defeat to Pliskova in Cincinnati was attributed partly to fatigue and exhaustion from having competed at the Olympics the prior week, which left her out of steam in reaching the gold medal final only to come up short to Monica Puig. But this time round, Kerber has managed to reach the final in New York without dropping a set and she should have plenty left in the tank for what lies ahead.
So my scoreline prediction will be that Kerber wins this one in three sets and it should be a tough battle but in the end I think Angie will come good. So my scoreline for the match (for what very little its worth!) is:
Kerber d. Pliskova 6-3, 2-6, 6-3
Right, so that's it for my look at the ladies matches and I will be back soon with my look at the men's semi finals and look ahead to the final.
So, see you soon!
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