NEW YORK – It was going to be a tough act to follow. After No. 10-seed KarolinaPliskova’s stunning upset of top-seeded Serena Williams on Arthur Ashe Stadium on Thursday night, the other two U.S. Open women’s semifinalists took the court but everything was very different from the contest before them.
The crowd, still shocked after what they had just seen, was abuzz with chatter. The already-steamy air seemed a little bit warmer. The opponent waiting in the final was not No. 1 Williams, as many expected, but a first-time Slam finalist. And No. 2-seed Angelique Kerber was no longer the WTA’s second-ranked player.