Angelique Kerber Will Meet The Surprising Monica Puig For The Rio Olympics Women’s Singles Gold

German Angelique Kerber continued her incredible 2016 denying Madison Keys a spot in the Rio gold medal match beating the American Friday 6-3, 7-5 in the semifinals.

Kerber will try to become the first German woman to win singles golf after Steffi Graf in Seoul 1988. She also took silver at Barcelona 1992.

This far, the Australian Open champion hasn’t dropped a set and she’ll be the big favorite against the surprising Monica Puig. The 22-year-old will try on Saturday to become the first Puerto Rican win a gold medal of any kind in the Olympics after beating 2-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova 6-4, 1-6, 6-3.

“For me it would mean the world and it would be the biggest honor,” Puig said. “I’m doing it more for my country. This Olympics isn’t about me, it’s about Puerto Rico.

“I know how badly they want this. The island is full of bad news all of the time – every time there’s a Games and someone wins a medal, someone from the island wins a medal everything stops and I know how happy people get so this one’s not for me this one’s for them.”

Kerber has won both career meetings with Puig both on hardcourts.

“We are here at the Olympics and it’s my first Olympic final and I will try to enjoy it for sure but I will also go out there and try to play my best tennis and try to win it of course,” said Kerber. “It will be a special day but in the end I will try to stay focused and not be too emotional.

“Monica is a great player and I think she plays her best tennis now this week. She will got out there tryng to beat me but I will go there focusing on my strengths and try to enjoy it, playing my tennis. It will be not so easy because I know she is a fighter. I think it will be a good match.”

Puig has beaten former French finalist Sara Errani, French Open champion Garbine Muguruza and today Kvitova.

Keys and Kvitova will meet in the bronze medal match.