US Open Tennis 2016 Women's Final: Angelique Kerber v Karolina Pliskova Preview

Angelique Kerber will face off against Karolina Pliskova in the 2016 U.S. Open women's final on Saturday, when a new champion will be crowned at Flushing Meadows following a whirlwind fortnight in New York.

Kerber comes into the showdown having stripped Serena Williams of the world No. 1 ranking following her 6-4, 6-3 win over Caroline Wozniacki, while Pliskova is making her maiden appearance in a Grand Slam final.

This pair may have never met in a major decider before, but Kerber and Pliskova do share a very active recent history, having collided in three lesser tournament finals over the course of the past 18 months.

Pliskova defeated Williams 6-2, 7-6(5) to reach this stage of the contest, but the biggest obstacle blocking her path still remains sat between her and a maiden Grand Slam triumph.

Read on for a preview of Saturday's 2016 U.S. Open women's final, complete with details of where and when to watch the action unfold.

Date: Saturday, September 10

Time: 4 p.m. ET/9 p.m. BST

Live Stream: WatchESPN (U.S.), Eurosport Player (UK)

TV Info: ESPN2 (U.S.), Eurosport 1 (UK)

Kerber the New Top Dog

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It's been a long time coming in the eyes of some, but Kerber will finally take No. 1 status into the New York cauldron on Saturday, a new sensation for the German despite her noticeable rise of late.

It's been a very productive year for Kerber thus far, as pointed out by the official Women's Tennis Association Twitter account, although Williams' conqueror Pliskova poses a very tricky last hurdle:

The Czech contender's win over Williams wasn't just a one-off, either, as confirmed by SportsCenter in the wake of her recent victory over younger sibling Serena:

In fact, Williams' older sister, Venus, is the only opponent to take a set from Pliskova at this year's tournament so far, clinching the other five of her wins in straight sets.

Kerber is coping with a newfound status as the top dog in town, painting a target sign on her back in the process, and Saturday's showdown will show us the first sign of how she'll perform with that fresh pressure.

Pliskova Carrying Major Momentum

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As impressive as Kerber has been en route to making three Grand Slam finals this year, even tasting major success for the first time at the Australian Open, Pliskova carries a great deal of momentum to New York.

The 24-year-old is in her first major final after failing to advance past the third round in any attempt prior to Flushing Meadows, and tennis writer Courtney Nguyen showed she's in good spirits:

Christopher Clarey of the New York Times agreed the win over Serena was no fluke, too, and noted just how decisive the emerging star was en route to her semi-final triumph:

It's also a factor that Pliskova won in the most recent of her seven career meetings against Kerber, per Tennis.com, winning 6-3, 6-1 at the Cincinnati Masters earlier in 2016.

Pliskova has defeated Kerber in three of those clashes, and the German has emerged a victor over her foe twice since June 2015, but the former will have a big chance to level their record at four wins apiece come Saturday.