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Sydney International PHOTOS: Kerber defeats Barty to claim the title

After her 2017 free fall, which saw her slump from No.1 to No.22 in the WTA rankings, Angelique Kerber is making a flawless start to the 2018 season, following up her four singles wins at the Hopman Cup with five commanding victories en route to the Sydney International title, the German’s first since the 2016 US Open.

Kerber’s toughest test was in the first round, as she saved two match points to beat Lucie Safarova 6-7(3) 7-6(8) 6-2, then she overcame second seed Venus Williams 5-7 6-3 6-1, Dominika Cibulkova 6-3 6-1 in the quarterfinals, Camila Giorgi 6-2 6-3 in the semis, and in the finals home star Ashleigh Barty 6-4 6-4.