US Open 2021: Angelique Kerber - A comeback full of conviction on the edge of the abyss
Angelique Kerberwas on the verge of being eliminated in the first round of the US Open against Dayana Yastresmka. But the German fought her way back from an almost hopeless position - and ultimately won in the tie-break of the third set.
by Jörg Allmeroth
last edit: Aug 31, 2021, 05:55 pm
Who knows if Angelique Kerber would have followed that ball a few months ago? The ball that her opponent Dayana Yastremska had fired far into Kerber's backhand corner in a 5: 3 and 30:15 lead in the decisive third set, outside in 17th place in the US Open area in Flushing Meadows. But Kerber is no longer the Kerber of the dreary sporting winter and spring, she has been playing with completely different courage and conviction since her tournament victory at home in Bad Homburg and the semi-final at Wimbledon. Also with fresh passion and a good portion of strong nerves.
And so the 33-year-old from Kiel darted after this pioneering ball with the last of her strength, hitting it heavily on the other side - where opponent Yastremska grotesquely put the ball into the net from a brilliant position. It was nothing with match balls for the young Ukrainian, also nothing with a surprise coup against the German favorite. When after two hours and 25 minutes it was settled in the shadow of the Arthur Ashe Stadium, Kerber, balancing on the abyss, was the first to cross the finish line with a dramatic 3: 6, 6: 4, 7: 6 (3) victory.
“It was a roller coaster ride,” said the three-time Grand Slam winner later, “the most important thing was: I never lost my faith in myself.” Kerber's resilience was absolutely “sensational”, her “unwaveringness” in this match, it said DTB woman boss Barbara Rittner: “You can feel how much fun she is having in tennis again. And how indomitable their morals are. ”Kerber's victory was the highlight on an opening Monday, when Philipp Kohlschreiber, Peter Gojowczyk, Dominik Koepfer and Andrea Petkovic also all the other German professionals moved into round two.
Kerber for Becker "co-favorite" on the title
In the meantime, Kerber had been almost helplessly at the mercy of the thunderstorm from Yastremska, who was unleashed. “When it is in motion, you can hardly stop it. She plays one of the fastest tennis on the tour, that's an inhuman pace, ”said Kerber. All the more impressive that the 2016 New York winner never gave up, even with the seemingly hopeless deficit in the third act. “I just feel more energy on the pitch again. For me it is also crucial that there are fans on the courts again, ”says Kerber,“ that is a completely different tennis world. ”
Kerber is one of those players who are given certain outsider opportunities at these American Open Championships. Boris Becker even counts the Kiel woman among the “co-favorites” for the title after the upswing in recent weeks and months. Kerber doesn't want to know anything about it, she prefers to trust her so-called "squirrel tactics": "Always think from point to point, from game to game." Don't think about who might be waiting in this tournament as an opponent. The next match is difficult enough anyway, on Wednesday against the Ukrainian Anhelina Kalinina, against whom Kerber lost at the French Open quite unspokenly. There is “definitely another bill to be settled”, says Kerber.
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