By Jeremy Harness

Karolina Pliskova made sure that the United States would not be represented on the court at Stanford come Sunday afternoon.

Pliskova, the fourth-seeded player in the Bank of the West Classic, took down American Varvara Lepchenko in straight sets, 6-2 and 7-5, in Saturday afternoon’s semifinal match.

Lepchenko was not sharp at all throughout the match, and although she was gallant in her effort in the second set, it was not enough as Pliskova punched her ticket into the championship match.

Lepchenko did not do herself any favors in the first set by committing three double faults, and Pliskova took full advantage by breaking her serve twice en route to an easy win in the opening stanza. The Czech also won 73 percent (11 of 15) of her first-serve points and did not commit a single double fault herself, further paving the way.

In the second set, Pliskova pounded four serves by Lepchenko for aces, and she further supplanted herself in the driver’s seat by winning 18 of her 21 first-serve points while also breaking lepchenko’s serve twice more.

Standing in Pliskova’s way of the championship is a Sunday showdown with German Angelique Kerber, who did not show any ill effects of her thrilling quarterfinal win in Friday’s nightcap, downed Ukrainian Elina Svitolina in straight sets, 6-3 and 6-1.

Kerber won 63 percent of her first-serve points throughout the match and used her strong ground game, which was on full display on Friday as well, to quickly gain the advantage.

As for Sunday’s matchup, Kerber and Pliskova have faced each other five times before, with Kerber holding a 3-2 advantage. Pliskova has won two of the past three head-to-head matches, but Kerber won the last one in June, to win the AEGON Birmingham Classic title.