tennis
United Cup: Kerber achieves first individual victory after maternity leave
Angelique Kerber defeated Australian Ajila Tomljanovic at the United Cup. photo
© Steven Markham/AAP/dpa
That was highly dramatic: Angelique Kerber brings the German tennis team into the lead in the semi-finals of the United Cup. But above all, success is important for them.
Tennis player Angelique Kerber won an individual match for the first time after returning from a year and a half of maternity leave.
The former world number one prevailed in the semi-finals of the United Cup in a nerve-wracking duel with Ajla Tomljanovic 4:6, 6:2, 7:6 (9:7) and brought the German team against hosts Australia 1-0 in Sydney in the lead. Kerber converted her first match point to victory after 2:34 hours.
“For me it’s the first individual victory since my comeback, it’s a really great feeling,” said the 35-year-old in an interview on the pitch: “I also tried to learn from the previous matches. Now here is such a tough duel Winning means a lot to me. It’s great to have a match like this before the Australian Open.”
Zverev has to follow suit
Afterwards, the Olympic champion Alexander Zverev, who is still unbeaten this year, has the chance to make Germany’s final appearance perfect in his duel with Alex de Minaur. If the Hamburg native were to lose, the decision would be made in the mixed doubles, just like in the quarter-final win against Greece.
Kerber appeared to have recovered well from her clear two-set defeat against the Greek Maria Sakkari the day before and was not unsettled by the loss in the first round against Tomljanovic. Thanks to her strong forehand and good serves, the Kiel native fought her way back into the match. In the highly dramatic third set she managed another break to make it 6:5, but she was unable to use her serve to win the match. In the tiebreak, Kerber showed class and nerve as she fended off two match points.
The team competition is considered preparation for the Australian Open in Melbourne, which begins on January 14th. Kerber is making her comeback on the tennis tour at the mixed event after the birth of her daughter Liana at the end of February 2023. She lost her singles in the preliminary round against Italy and France and in the quarter-finals against Greece.