In an outstanding display of skill and power, opponent Karolina Pliskova knocked female tennis player Serena Williams out of the recent US open tournament.
The Czech player brought an outstanding package to the game as she attained a glowing reputation for successfully making it to the US open semi final, and to further enhance her progress, she defeated popular top seed fan favorite Williams in an impressive showdown.
The crowd was silenced as Williams incurred a double fault on match point during the second tiebreaker of the game. With the match score line ending at 6-2, 7-6(5), Pliskova ensured her graceful passage to the final after a particularly intense 86 minutes match session against Williams. The match brought a sad turn for Serena Williams as not only did the outcome cost her the number one ranking which she had held on to since January 2013, but also a good chance at obtaining a history making 23 grand slam title to surpass Steffi Graff’s mark.
This loss marks the second consecutive year where Williams has been defeated just before making history at a major season ending event. It was a surprising turn of event, as the slender Czech player was widely known for her underperformance in previous matches.
Williams, who just recently turned 35, had a recurring injury – a left knee ailment. In an interview, she said:
“We play every single week, I have been in Toronto or Montreal or Cincinnati where I play Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. I mean, if I’m not used to playing this and I really should think of something different. I’m not going to sit here and make an excuse because that’s not me.”
During the match, the players kept on trading leads and as the injury caused Williams a good performance, a tiebreaker ended the game in favor of Pliskova.