Angelique Kerber clinches first US Open title

Germany's Angelique Kerber on Saturday put the crowning touch of her newly-acquired world's No. 1 ranking by winning her first U.S. Open tennis championship.

Kerber, 28, beat Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 in a thrilling match in her third Grand Slam final this year, two days after unseating Serena Williams as the world's top seed.

After splitting the first two sets, Pliskova pushed ahead for a 3-1 lead in the third but was stopped in her tracks by Kerber who leveled the score with a break.

At 4-4, Kerber kept her calm and ended a spectacular run with a love game.

"All my dreams came true today and I'm just trying to enjoy the moment," Kerber said after the match. "It's incredible. I'm standing here with a second Grand Slam trophy and it means so much to me."

Pliskova outplayed Williams on Thursday, forcing her to abandon hopes of surpassing legendary Steffi Graf for number of Grand Slam titles (22) and consecutive weeks as No. 1 (186).

The 24-year-old, who made her debut in the top 10 last year and beat Kerber last month in Cincinnati, had never made it past the third round of a Grand Slam tournament before her finals appearance.

Kerber won the Australian Open earlier this year but lost in the finals at Wimbledon. Both matches were against Williams.