Greg Garber, Senior Writer 8y

Angelique Kerber falls in Cincinnati final, misses out on No. 1 ranking

Tennis

With a chance to win a premier-level event and secure the No. 1 ranking, Angelique Kerber came up short.

The German was flat from the outset Sunday, falling to Karolina Pliskova 6-3, 6-1 in the final of the Western & Southern Open, a match that lasted only 1 hour, 2 minutes.

"Of course, I am disappointed, but she played a great match," Kerber said in her on-court interview. "She played a great match and a great tournament, so she really deserved to win at the end."

Heading into the event, Kerber had to win the title to unseat Serena Williams as the top player in the world, a ranking she's held for 3½ years. Williams' streak, which will reach 184 weeks Monday, is the second-longest of all time behind Steffi Graf (186 weeks). Williams ascended to No. 1 -- for the sixth time -- in February 2013. Her first turn came in 2002, when she replaced older sister Venus.

Williams can thank Pliskova, 24, for a world-class performance. Of note, it was the Czech's first career win against a top-2 opponent. She lost only eight games in the semifinals and final combined en route to her sixth career title. She'll move up to No. 11 in the rankings Monday.

"I know [Kerber] was playing for the No. 1 ranking, so maybe next time," Pliskova said during the trophy ceremony. "I'm already really looking forward to coming back here next year."

Kerber, who beat Williams in the Australian Open final back in January, has finished in the top 10 in the rankings for the past four years. There will be various permutations in play at the US Open in which she can grab the top spot.

Despite the loss Sunday, it's been a career year for Kerber.

The Australian Open was her first major title, and she also won in Stuttgart and made the final at Wimbledon, where she lost to Williams. Kerber also took home the silver medal in Rio, falling to Monica Puig in the final. Her record is a gaudy 47-14 in 2016.

"I am really tired. I played the 11th match in 13 or 14 days [dating back to Rio], but I had a really good week," Kerber said. "I really tried my best today, but sometimes you have days that it's not working so good."

So it's Williams who is still in position to break Graf's consecutive streak record -- and her Open era mark of 22 majors -- at the US Open. Williams will enter New York under a cloud of uncertainty after pulling out of Cincinnati with an injured shoulder, the same setback that seemed to affect her in Rio.

Injured or not, Williams has at least one thing going for her when the final major of the season begins Aug. 29: She'll still be the No. 1 player in the world.

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