NEW YORK (AP) – About to contest her third Grand Slam final of the year, Angelique Kerber couldn’t help but hear the part of player introductions when she was announced to the crowd as soon-to-be No. 1 in the rankings.
“It still sounds a little bit crazy,” Kerber said a few hours later, the U.S. Open trophy by her side.
Yet it’s also starting to feel real, she added. And deserved.
Especially after Kerber rallied from down a break in the third set Saturday to edge Karolina Pliskova and clinch her second major title of 2016.
The Australian Open back in January was where Kerber not only made her first Grand Slam final but won her first championship. But this U.S. Open may prove to be where the 28-year-old Kerber started to find herself comfortable with all those accolades.