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Karolina Pliskova has caused the upset of the 2016 US Open, sensationally knocking out Serena Williams in the women’s singles semi-finals in straight sets.
The loss means that, for the first time since 2013, Williams will no longer hold the title of best women’s player in the world, with Angelique Kerber advancing to the world number one position. Williams had been world number one for 186 weeks.
After losing the first set 2-6, Williams looked to have got herself back in the match by getting to within a break point of taking the second set. However Pliskova, who came into the tournament as the tenth seed, held her nerve to force a tie-break, and kept her momentum going by taking a 3-1 lead.
Williams then fought back to take the next three points, and with them a 4-3 lead, but Pliskova kept the tie-break on serve, and ended up taking the match after Williams could only produce a double-fault on match point.
The way in which she conceded the match added to the whispers that Williams was not at full fitness for the match.
Pliskova will now meet either Kerber or Caroline Wozniaki in the final this weekend.
It is the second year in a row that Williams has been knocked out of the tournament in the semi-finals. Last year, she was considered a shoe-in for the tournament – what would have been her fourth Grand Slam win of the year – but was upset by Italian Roberta Vinci.
A win at this year’s US Open would have given Williams the 23rd grand slam title of her career, putting her ahead of Steffi Graf, with whom she currently shares the professional-era record for most titles.
Her quest for grand slam number 23 will now have to be put on hold until the Australian Open next year.
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