NEW YORK—Karolina Pliskova pulled off the rare feat of beating both Venus Williams and Serena Williams in the same Grand Slam tournament.
In the aftermath of her 6-2, 7-6 (5) victory over the world No. 1 that propelled her into her first US Open final, Pliskova said beating Serena was tough, but defeating Venus in a fourth-round thriller was tougher.
US Open: Pliskova Stuns Serena Into US Open Final
"To beat Serena, she's world No. 1, so it's always tough to beat someone like this," Pliskova said. "She's never giving up. Even if she's losing, not playing her best, it's always tough to beat girls like this."
The 10th-seeded Czech's victory over Serena came two rounds after she saved a match point outdueling sixth-seeded Venus Williams, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (3).
Pliskova said Venus was even more dangerous than Serena.
"I would maybe say it was a little bit tougher to play Venus because obviously I was match point down and she was serving much better than Serena was tonight," Pliskova said. "Even my game I think was a little bit better against Venus, but I'm not sure what my coach is gonna say and what all the people is gonna say. Obviously I beat No. 1. Everyone is gonna say it's amazing win tonight. But, I mean, both matches were very good."
The 24-year-old Czech, who will face Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber in her first Grand Slam final, said her victory over Venus set the stage for her semifinal upset of Serena.
"I mean, there is not more than to beat both sisters in one tournament in New York. I'm really excited about those two wins," Pliskova said. "For the crowd, it's not probably the best that I beat both of them in their country, but for me it's really something special. Obviously the match with Venus helped me, like I said, not only with the game, but also with the crowd, also. Was my first match on center court.
"So I knew I was to play center court one of the sisters Williams against all the people there, so I was prepared for it. I was prepared for a fast game, for great serving, and probably it helped me. That's why maybe I won the match today."
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