Angelique Kerber must beware in Saturday's women's championship match at the U.S. Open. A tennis giant-killer stalks the other end of the court.
Kerber, the vanquisher of Serena Williams at the Australian Open, faces Karolina Pliskova at 4 p.m. ET. Pliskova reached the final by beating Williams on Thursday.
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So while Kerber hunts her second Grand Slam title, she faces a hungry challenger who took advantage of the tournament's top seed. Pliskova, the Open's No. 10 seed, is playing her first Grand Slam title match. Kerber also played in the Wimbledon final and lost to Williams.
Advantage, Kerber?
"I have to move good, to bring a lot of balls back, and playing also more aggressive [than] I played in Cincinnati," Kerber told Tennis.com. "I was just pushing too much the balls there, so I will think I will change this a little bit. Go for it, being aggressive."
That aggressive attitude served her well in the Aussie, thanks to help from fellow German Steffi Graf over the winter.
Pliskova won't be a deer in the Open spotlight in Arthur Ashe Stadium. But she might need a pep talk to build her confidence.
"Everyone was talking to me that you can win a grand slam," Pliskova told media members on Thursday. "I'd say, 'I'm not ready for it yet, because obviously I didn't get that far in a tournament yet'. But I knew it's somewhere in me that I can really play good tennis on those bigger stages, so I believed, and it just happened. So I think I have a good chance on Saturday."
Track the championship match live.
On Sunday, Novak Djokovic faces Stan Wawrinka for the men's title. Djokovic is the No. 1 seed and defending champion, seeking his third Slam title of 2016. Wawrinka defeated Djokovic in the 2015 French Open final.
Djokovic defeated Gael Monfils in four sets on Friday. Wawrinka also needed four sets to dispose of Kei Nishikori.
The men's final is scheduled for 4 p.m. ET Sunday.