“It feels so good”
Kerber celebrates his first first round victory after a baby break
March 6, 2024, 10:16 p.m
Angelique Kerber wins a tennis match in a singles tournament for the first time since her comeback after the baby break. At the famous Masters in Indian Wells, the former number one in the world rankings beat the top 60 player and can hardly stop celebrating.
At the third attempt, former Wimbledon champion Angelique Kerber (Kiel) celebrated her first success in an individual tournament after her baby break. At the high-class WTA tournament in Indian Wells, the 36-year-old won her opening match against the top 60 player Petra Martic from Croatia, who is three years younger, 6:3, 6:4. The former world number one’s next opponent in the round of 64 at the $9.2 million tournament is the Latvian world number one Jelena Ostapenko. Tatjana Maria (Bad Saulgau) also reached the second round.
“It’s great, it feels so good to be here again and play in front of you and give everything I have,” said Kerber after her game on Center Court. “I tried to move well and hitting the ball into the field. It’s not that easy without a lot of match practice, I try to stay here as long as possible and get as many matches as possible.”
Maria takes the hurdle safely
For Germany’s former top player, the knot broke as hoped against Martic, despite her fall in the ranking below 600th place. Before a break of several weeks, Kerber made her tournament comeback as a soloist at the subsequent Australian Open at the beginning of the year after taking part in the United Cup – a tennis competition for national teams in which women and men compete in singles and mixed doubles, with Kerber winning one singles She had an 18-month career break, but was just as unable to complete her first round task as she was at the WTA tournament in Linz, Austria, at the end of January.
In California, Kerber gained an advantage in the first set with her second break and used her second set point after 41 minutes. In the second round, the opponents lost their service once again before Kerber broke again in the fifth game and thus practically made the decision. After a total playing time of 91 minutes, the left-hander converted her second match point.
Maria finally cleared her first round hurdle against the Dutch Arantxa Rus 7:6 (7:5), 6:2. In her next match, the former Wimbledon semi-finalist will face number 13 seeded Italian Jasmine Paolini. Later on Wednesday, Tamara Korpatsch from Hamburg will also take part in the tournament. The 28-year-old’s opening opponent is Kazakh Yulia Putintseva.