Pliskova denies Kerber's bid for number one spot
Karolina Pliskova upset Angelique Kerber 6-3, 6-1 on Sunday to win the Cincinnati women's title and deny the German a chance to reach the WTA Tour's world No. 1 ranking.
Olympic silver medalist Kerber was broken early to start both sets as her 15th-seeded Czech opponent earned the upset.
The result leaves Serena Williams atop the ranking list with Kerber trailing in second.
Kerber, who had said all week she was keeping the number one possibility out of her mind, got off to slow starts in both sets.
She went down an immediate pair of breaks in the first set and lost her first service game in the second on the slippery slope to defeat.
The momentum mounted fast for Pliskova on a sunny day after a week of poor weather and rain.
The Czech, who now owns seven career titles and stands 3-4 against Kerber, claimed the opening set in 32 minutes and needed 62 minutes in total to complete her role as spoiler.
The winner finished with seven aces and five breaks of Kerber.
Kerber fell into a 5-1 deficit in the second set after a double-fault. Pliskova served out the biggest win of her career a game later on a second match point.