Three Thoughts: Angelique Kerber solidifies No. 1 ranking with win over Karolina Pliskova in U.S. Open final

NEW YORK—Angelique Kerber is officially a two-time Grand Slam champion after battling past Karolina Pliskova on Saturday, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 to take home the 2016 U.S. Open title.

Here are three thoughts about the wildly entertaining final.

1. Kerber stayed calm and played to her biggest strengths:

Kerber is the best retriever in the sport, and each shot she hits shows how much effort—from her face to her toes—she’s putting behind every stroke. Pliskova is the total opposite; with her tall and lanky frame, her strokes are abbreviated and her movement is straight-legged and casual. Kerber exerts herself so much that her knees nearly touch the ground in some of her deepest crouches. The German used her biggest weapons—her athleticism and consistency—to push Pliskova to hit closer to the lines. Her hard work paid off big time, with 17 unforced errors to Pliskova’s 47.

You could visibly see how much Kerber has improved both her fitness and mental toughness. The 28-year-old didn’t get frazzled, even when she dropped the second set. The Kerber of yesteryear would have thrown some fits, but a more mature Kerber stayed tough and buckled down to get the Grand Slam title she so deserved.

2. Pliskova couldn’t maintain her highest level for the whole match:

What Pliskova does best is serve and come into the net to finish points. The 24-year-old had never been in the second week of a major before, and was labeled a classic underachiever. Now she can walk away proud, having finally made her breakthrough.

Pliskova tried to break through Kerber’s baseliner defensive skills by charging the net, and the strategy worked for as long as she could maintain it (which wasn’t long enough). She won 93 percent of her net points in the second set, and raised her winners higher than her unforced errors (a crucial stat for the huge hitter). But she couldn’t maintain her form, dropping to 50 percent of net points won and just eight winners to 18 unforced errors in the third.

3. Angie is a much-deserved new No. 1:

It was Kerber’s straight-set loss to Pliskova in Cincinnati last month that prevented her from ascending to No. 1. Ironically, Kerber got there this week thanks to Pliskova knocking Serena Williams out in the semifinals.

On Monday, when the new rankings come out, Kerber will solidify her place as the first German woman since Steffi Graf to reach No. 1. No one—not even Serena—has had a better year. Kerber won her first major in Melbourne this year—defeating Williams in the final—and reached the final of Wimbledon, Rio and Cincinnati. While she didn’t have to beat the 22-time Grand Slam champion this fortnight, she did something arguably more impressive by adapting to being the favorite. She stayed true to her game and maintained a positive attitude in the most crucial moments.