Stuttgart. Angelique Kerber wins, making her fit for Wimbledon: one week before the year’s most important Grand Slam, the Porsche Brand Ambassador celebrated her first ever tournament win on grass by beating the up-and-coming Czech Karolina Pliskova in three hard-fought sets 6-7, 6-3, 7-6 at the WTA event in Birmingham on Sunday. Having already claimed the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix and in Charleston, it is the third WTA title of the year for the 27-year-old German – her best ever haul in a single season.
Angelique Kerber Wins by Digging Deep
After comfortably overcoming her Porsche Team Germany teammate Sabine Lisicki 6-3, 6-3 in the semi-final, she faced much stiffer opposition in the exciting and dramatic final. Her opponent Karolina Pliskova, who is on the verge of breaking into the world top 10 and who had won the previous two head-to-heads, only gave her a slightly easier time in the second set. When good nerves were called for in the third set tie-break, Angelique Kerber dug deep and used all her experience to close out the match after two hours 16 minutes to secure her sixth career WTA title.
“It was a very tough match, perfect for a final. I really enjoyed playing on grass again. I’m delighted with my win and am proud of my performance here,” said Angelique Kerber who remains in the world top 10 after the success. “It couldn’t be a better preparation for Wimbledon. It gives me a lot of self-confidence.”
Previously at the steeped-in-tradition All England Championships in the south-west London suburb, the left-hander reached the semi-finals in 2012 and was a quarterfinalist last year. Together with her Porsche Team Germany teammates, she will next week be using the tournament in Eastbourne as a final dress rehearsal for Wimbledon.
Source: Kind courtesy of Dr. Ing. h.c.F. Porsche Aktiengesellschaft