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NEW YORK -- The last time the two womens finalists at this U.S. Open, Angelique Kerber of Germany and Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic, played each other, it really was no contest.Pliskova dominated the higher-ranked and more-experienced Kerber, not merely winning in straight sets, but dropping only four games along the way.Like Saturdays matchup, the one three weeks ago was played on a hard court.Like Saturday, there was a title at stake.There are, however, some key differences, including that the earlier one was at a run-of-the-mill event and the upcoming one is at a Grand Slam tournament. And, perhaps most significantly of all when it comes to the outcome this time, when Kerber lost at Cincinnati in August, she knew she had to win to make her debut at No. 1 in the WTA rankings -- whereas now, shes guaranteed of wresting the top spot from Serena Williams on Monday, regardless of what happens in Arthur Ashe Stadium.So while there is still a lot on the line, of course -- millions of dollars, a major trophy -- Kerber does not have to deal with the pressure of trying to ascend to No. 1. Shes already assured of that.That was always a dream for me, the No. 2-seeded Kerber said after beating Caroline Wozniacki 6-4, 6-3 in the semifinals Thursday night, when 10th-seeded Pliskova upset Williams 6-2, 7-6 (5). I was trying to not think too much the whole last few weeks about this, and now I reach it. So its something really special for me.All in all, its been quite a special 2016 for Kerber.This will be her third appearance in a Grand Slam title match: She beat Williams in the Australian Open final in January, then lost to the American in the Wimbledon final in July.Kerber has a tour-leading 53 match wins, two titles and now three runs to major finals this season, which accounts for her move up.She gets a lot of balls back. She also knows how to change the pace. She gets good angles. And, yeah, shes playing really well, said Wozniacki, who spent 67 weeks atop the WTA, finishing 2010 and 2011 at No. 1.You know, its not a lot of people who have been No. 1. Its a huge thing. She definitely has a target on her back now. Everyone wants to beat the No. 1 player in the world. Shes going to enjoy it. First, she has a match here that shes focused on.That comes against Pliskova, who never had been past the third round in 17 previous major appearances but became only the fourth woman to beat both Williams sisters during one Grand Slam tournament.I hope I didnt stop yet, that there is still one more step to go. Ill do anything for getting the title, Pliskova said. Even if I dont get it, its a big result. Im really happy to be there and even have the chance to play in the final here.The match offers an intriguing contrast in styles. As Venus and Serena Williams saw first-hand, the 6-foot-1 Pliskova goes right at opponents with big, flat groundstrokes and tough-to-handle serves. She averaged 109 mph on her first serves Thursday -- faster than the younger Williams, known for the best serve in the womens game -- and leads the tour in aces this year.The 5-foot-8 Kerber, meanwhile, is terrific at retrieving and counter-punching, dropping down to a knee at times along the baseline to get balls back.Her serve is a weakness: She was broken while serving for the match against Wozniacki, for example, and lost three service games in the first set alone of her quarterfinal against 2015 runner-up Roberta Vinci. Kerber acknowledged that aspect of her game will be key on Saturday.She also said she wants to try to control points more than she did the last time she faced Pliskova.I was just pushing too much the balls there, Kerber said, so I think I will change this a little bit. Go for it, being aggressive.---Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HowardFendrich Jacoby Brissett Jersey . 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And when it opened, every player was at his stall. Thats a sure sign that a team is in a slump and is searching for answers. "Its embarrassing to be at home and play the way we did," said defenceman Josh Gorges. CHICAGO -- San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy announced Friday he will go with right-hander Jeff Samardzija in Game 2 of the teams National League Division Series against the Chicago Cubs, Samardzijas former team.Bochy had vacillated with his decision Thursday. His ace, Madison Bumgarner?--?who is coming off a complete-game shutout in the NL wild-card game Wednesday -- is lined up to pitch in Game 3 in San Francisco. Johnny Cueto started Game 1, a 1-0 Giants loss.Bochy said he will start lefty Matt Moore?in Game 4, if necessary.I dont really second-guess too many decisions Boch makes, Samardzija said. Hes usually spot-on with his decisions. Im just going to take and run with his confidence in me and not let him down.Samardzija was drafted out of Notre Dame by the Cubs in 2006 before he was traded to Oakland in 2014. He went 12-11 with a 3.81 ERA for the Giants after signing a five-year, $90 million deal this past offseason after spending the 2015 season with the White Sox.Samardzija will be making his first postseason start. As a rookie in the 2008 NLDS, he pitched one inning of relief for the Cubs against the Los Angeles Dodgers, allowing two hits and a run.I think it makes for nice headlines, but outside of [Anthony] Rizzo and [Travis] Wood and a couple other guys, its essentially a new team, Samardzija said. A lot of the young guys were not in the Show yet when I was there. Its the playoffs. It doesnt matter who youre playing. It seems to be a great team with a great lineup, a great starting staff and a great bullpen.Samardzija met with Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein last offseason before signing with San Francisco, but the Cubs focused on outfielder?Jason Heyward and pitcher John Lackey.ddddddddddddhere was a handful of teams that I could see myself playing for with the direction they were going, the strength of the division, the guys they had in their farm team, he said. So obviously the Cubs checked all those boxes. I had good relationships with the people that were there. Just unfortunately when it came down to it, we were kind of looking for different things.In his only start at Wrigley Field as a visiting pitcher, Samardzija lasted just four innings, allowing three runs on five hits on Sept. 1.Obviously, everythings a little different when you pitched in one place for so long and then have to go do it on the other side, he said. But really not worried about that too much. Im just excited that Im getting an opportunity to pitch in a playoff game, which for me they have been few and far between with going in 2008 and then going briefly in 2014. For me, Im excited to have that opportunity and never matters where its at or what time of day it is. Its just the playoffs are the playoffs and you want to have a good showing.The Giants have 12 pitchers and 13 position players on their postseason roster. Rookie left-hander?Ty Blach, who went 1-0 with a 1.06 ERA in four games late in the season, was active for the NLDS after he was left off the wild-card roster.The Associated Press contributed to this report. Wholesale Jerseys Free Shipping China NFL Jerseys China Jerseys Cheap Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys 2019 Cheap NFL Jerseys China NFL Jerseys From China ' ' '