Serena Williams vs. Karolina Pliskova: Score and Reaction from 2016 US Open

Serena Williams will no longer be the world's No. 1 player following Thursday's shocking semifinal loss to No. 10 Karolina Pliskova at the 2016 U.S. Open.

Pliskova dominated play from the outset with her serve and won in straight sets, 6-2, 7-6 (5). Williams appeared fatigued after Wednesday's three-set quarterfinals win over Simona Halep, but it is a testament to Pliskova's game that she reached her first career major final by beating the 22-time Grand Slam champion.

Pliskova notched seven aces during the match, but it was her efficiency on the first serve that proved to be the difference. She won a commanding 84 percent of her first-service points, per the U.S. Open's official website, and never let Williams establish sustained momentum with timely breaks. Williams committed 31 unforced errors and couldn't answer Pliskova's effectiveness.

According to Tom Allnutt of The Independent, Angelique Kerber had to match or better Williams at the U.S. Open to take over the No. 1 spot, and she already did that by reaching the other semifinal. Nick McCarvel of USA Today noted Williams acknowledged the moment after the loss:

Williams wasn't the only member of her family to see her 2016 U.S. Open come to an end against Pliskova. She also beat Venus Williams in the fourth round and joined an elite club, per SportsCenter:

It was Pliskova who earned the first break of the match during the first set when Williams sailed a backhand long on a break point. Ben Rothenberg of the New York Times noted Williams wasn't moving the 6'1" Pliskova around enough during her early service points.

Pliskova continued to dictate the tempo in the first set and moved ahead 5-2 with another break. She then finished the set with her serve and moved ahead 1-0 in a mere 26 minutes, per ESPN Tennis. The U.S. Open shared her final point of the set:

Matt Zemek of FanRag Sports pointed out Pliskova was following a winning formula of "hitting lots of lines and corners on serves," while writer Andrew Jerell Jones acknowledged the quick turnaround from Williams' quarterfinals match was playing a factor:

"

Serena trying to grunt her way into having energy here, but this tough turnaround, 24 hours after Halep, is to her detriment now. #usopen

— Andrew Jerell Jones (@sluggahjells) September 8, 2016"

The two players remained on serve through the first four games in the second set, but Pliskova earned yet another break with impressive groundstrokes and timely shots. Rothenberg reacted to the surprising developments:

However, Williams broke right back to pull even and turn some of the pressure around on Pliskova, especially after she missed an opportunity to exert a firm grasp on the match. The world's top-ranked player then fought through fatigue and almost seemed to be in survival mode as she held serve to jump ahead 5-4 in the second set. 

Still, she couldn't muster anything against Pliskova's serve on the way to a tiebreaker. Williams appeared to labor in the early going of that tiebreaker and quickly fell behind 3-0. David Kane of WTA Insider said "Serena was flexing her left leg last night versus Halep - commentators pointing it out again."

In a testament to her greatness, Williams won five of the next six points to move ahead in the tiebreaker, 5-4. She couldn't maintain the momentum, though, and lost her control on the tiebreaker and the match. She double-faulted on Pliskova's match point and lost her chance to add a 23rd major title to her illustrious resume.

What's Next?

Pliskova will go for her first major championship on Saturday against Kerber, who beat Caroline Wozniacki in the other semifinal.

While it won't have the same drama as a battle between Williams and Kerber for the No. 1 seed, Pliskova has the opportunity to continue her red-hot play. She beat arguably the greatest tennis player in the history of the sport on Thursday and is fresh off a Western & Southern Open title in Cincinnati. She beat Kerber in the final in Cincinnati in straight sets and should have confidence in the upcoming matchup.

Kerber won the Australian Open this year and reached the final at Wimbledon, and will be a formidable foe for Pliskova. However, she proved she can beat the best on Thursday.

Post-Match Reaction

Pliskova said, “It’s amazing to beat a player like this. I don’t believe it,” per the U.S. Open’s official website.

As for Williams, she noted that “fatigue had nothing to do with it,” per the U.S. Open’s official website. Still, she pointed out she had a “serious left knee injury” and “was not 100 percent.”

Even though Williams wasn’t 100 percent, Pliskova was clearly the better player on Thursday and prevailed in straight sets. She said playing Venus Williams earlier in the tournament helped her prepare for the semifinal showdown because she grew accustomed “to the adverse crowd and a big serve,” per WTA Insider.

If her matches against the Williams sisters prepared her enough for Kerber, she will emerge with a U.S. Open title.

*All stats are courtesy of the U.S. Open's official website.