Second seed Angelique Kerber celebrated her rise to number one in the world rankings by claiming the women's US Open title after beating Karolina Pliskova 6-3 4-6 6-4 in an absorbing final this evening.
The opening game proved to be a nervous one for Pliskova, who produced a couple of early faults to give Kerber the chance to break, which the German eventually took when her Czech opponent fell prey to a broken string.
With Kerber slightly in the driving seat, both players produced some commanding tennis on their own serves as the game headed towards the end of the first set.
In the end, though, Pliskova was unable to turn things around as two more errors in the ninth game set Kerber up for a second break, which was eventually grasped with a standout forehand down the line in order to seal the first set.
Pliskova came back strongly in the second set and it appeared as though she might just break her opponent, only for Kerber to scramble free at 3-2 despite the crowd sensing an upset at deuce.
A potential turning point did arrive soon after, though, as Pliskova was able to secure an important break at 4-3 before holding on her service game and eventually pushing through to leave the game heading into a decisive third set.
Producing her best efforts not to be unnerved by Pliskova's comeback, Kerber held firm in the first game of the decider, but her steel was matched by that of Pliskova, who held and then produced a remarkable break and hold to take an unlikely 3-1 advantage.
The youngster was unable to push forward, however, given that Kerber soon broke back and produced a vital hold of her own to make it 4-3 as the tension rose in New York.
Finding herself back in front, Kerber showed resilience in the final games as she held out without being broken to take the title by claiming the final set 6-4.
Christopher Dodd
