Crowd sings 'Happy Birthday' to Angelique Kerber after hard-fought win

For the second time this week, Angelique Kerber bent but didn’t break.

The world No. 1 and defending champion was pushed to a third set by countrywoman Carina Witthoeft, but she dug deep and prevailed, 6-2, 6-7 (3), 6-2, in the second round of the Australian Open.

In her opener, Kerber had some trouble with Lesia Tsurenko in a 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 victory.

It was a special day for the highest-ranked player, and not just because she advanced. Kerber was celebrating her 29th birthday, and after the match the crowd in Rod Laver Arena sang “Happy Birthday” in unison to mark the occasion.

"I'm always playing on my birthday, and I have always [had my] birthday here in Australia," Kerber said in her on-court interview after the match. "I'm really enjoying it. It's like at home here. I'm 29, so I'm getting older, but I think I will have a great day today."

Kerber hasn’t been at her best thus far at the site of her first Grand Slam title, but she’s risen to the occasion and competed like a veteran when it’s meant the most. She’s been noticeably frustrated at times, and was clearly annoyed with herself in the second set on Wednesday. Leading the tiebreaker 3-2, she double-faulted twice before losing the next three points to drop the set.

But in the deciding third, facing the prospect of early elimination, she regained her cool and played a brand of suffocating defense commensurate with a top seed. She was broken to start the set, but rebounded quickly and thoroughly outplayed Witthoeft over the next seven games.

The German only got stronger as the fortnight went on last year, and if history is to repeat itself, the women’s field has its work cut out for it.

Next up for Kerber in the third round is world No. 58 Kristýna Plíšková—Karolina’s sister—who upset 27th-seeded Irina-Camelia Begu, 6-4, 7-6 (8).