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NEW YORK -- Angelique Kerber probably doesn't consider herself a late bloomer, but the meaty metrics of tennis suggest otherwise. The No. 2-seeded German could depart the National Tennis Center in two weeks as the WTA's No. 1-ranked player -- making her, at 28, the oldest woman ever to claim the top spot for the first time. Kerber sprinted into the second round Monday when Polona Hercog retired with a combination of illness and heat stroke after losing the first seven games in Arthur Ashe Stadium. Hercog is now 1-18 versus top-10 opponents. Serena Williams, who is defending 460 more points here than Kerber, essentially needs to last longer than Kerber in the draw to retain that No. 1 ranking. Jennifer Capriati was 25 years and 6 months old when she ascended to the No. 1 ranking for the first time, in 2001. Kerber, incredibly, would be more than three years older. A few more takeaways from the match: Startlingly swift beginning: Kerber came into New York following a pair of difficult losses -- to Monica Puig in the gold-medal match in Rio and to Karolina Pliskova in the Cincinnati final -- but there was no hangover here. Kerber won 30 of the abbreviated match's 39 points, in a tidy total of 33 minutes. If there's pressure, she's not feeling it: Kerber could have lifted that No. 1 ranking with a title in Cincinnati but looked tired in losing to Pliskova. In her pre-tournament news conference, Kerber said she embraced questions about taking Williams' ranking. On court after her win Monday, she reinforced that idea. "Let's see if the day will come someday," she said. "I will be really happy. I'm really trying to focus here, win all the matches, and then we'll see." Recent history means nothing: Believe it or not, the unseeded Hercog had won two of the previous three matches against Kerber. The Slovenian, ranked No. 120 among WTA players, scored victories in Warsaw in 2010 and Monterrey a year later -- both in straight sets. Kerber now holds a 4-2 head-to-head edge. No service issues: Kerber was all over Hercog's serve, breaking her in each of three opportunities. The German won 10 of 17 points on Hercog's first serve and was 4-for-4 in the second. On her own serve, Kerber won 16 of 18 points.
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