Return Winners: The 2015 Birmingham WTA final

Two now-famous Top 5 stars faced off with a first career grass-court title on the line.

The Setting

Before Angelique Kerber won two majors and reached No. 1, she was a small-tournament winning expert. The German reached four WTA finals in 2014, and improved in 2015 to win four titles (two of which came on clay). Despite a strong run on the clay, she lost early at the French Open.

In her next tournament, on grass in Birmingham, England, Kerber rediscovered her form. The fourth seed and 2012 Wimbledon semifinalist, still in search of her first grass-court tournament triumph, advanced to the final of a tournament for the second year in a row.

On the other side of the draw, Karolina Pliskova was ready to make a breakthrough of her own. The young Czech reached her fourth final of the year on her third different surface.

After winning the first two matches against Pliskova, Kerber had dropped the next two, including one at the beginning of the year in Sydney. Kerber knew a quick start was imperative and she recorded the first break of the match to take a 2-0 lead, and edge ahead 5-3. Pliskova fought off multiple set points and sent the set to a tiebreak, which she won.

It was Pliskova who appeared to be in command in the second, going up by an early break. This time, it was Kerber’s turn to mount a comeback, one that saw her capture the set, 6-3.

In the third set, Kerber raced to a 5-3 lead, a game away from the title. But Pliskova took the next three games in a row, before the match went into a deciding tiebreak. At 4-all, it was all Kerber as the German took the next three points in a row to clinch the title, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 7-6 (4).

3

Birmingham was Kerber’s third title of the season, marking the first time she captured that many titles in a year. Also, this marked the third final in a row she won 7-5 or 7-6 in the third set.

2

Out of her 10 career finals to this point, this was only the second one where Pliskova won the first set.

0

By 2015, no woman from the Czech Republic had ever won the tournament. Pliskova was the second Czech in a row to make the final, following Barbora Strycova in 2014.

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