Angelique Kerber has won her first U.S. Open title and the second Grand Slam trophy of her breakthrough season, beating Karolina Pliskova 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 on Saturday.
The No. 2-seeded Kerber came back to win five of the last six games after trailing by a break at 3-1 in the third set.
Kerber already was assured of making her debut at No. 1 in the WTA rankings on Monday, ending Serena Williams' record-tying 186-week stay at the top.
Never a Grand Slam finalist before 2016, Kerber beat Williams for the Australian Open title in January, then lost to the American in the Wimbledon final in July.
They seemed to be on course for a third meeting in the final at Flushing Meadows, but the 10th-seeded Pliskova eliminated Williams in the semifinals, after beating her sister Venus in the fourth round.
