AFP, Stuttgart :
Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber picked up her second title of 2016 with a 6-4, 6-0 victory over qualifier Laura Siegemund in Sunday’s final of the WTA clay-court tournament in Stuttgart.
In an all-German final, Kerber claimed her first win since her Melbourne triumph in January with an impressive display against Siegemund, who had beaten seeds Simona Halep, Roberta Vinci and Agnieszka Radwanska, all ranked in the world’s top ten.
This was Siegemund’s debut in a WTA final and Kerber’s first since the Australian Open as she defended her Stuttgart title.
Kerber, the world number three, came out on top in a tight first set, then raced into a 2-0 lead as Seigemund had to briefly receive treatment.
She dominated the 28-year-old Seigemund, who has shot up the world rankings to 42 on the back of her performances in Stuttgart, and kept finding her shots on the baseline to quickly race to a 4-0 lead.
