Kerber Crashes the Danish Party

With all eyes on home star Caroline Wozniacki, it was Angelique Kerber who had the final say at last week's third edition of the Copenhagen EBooks Open, crashing thus the perfect Danish party Wozniacki has put on for her fans.

After some topsy-turvy encounters in the first two rounds and a sensational comeback in the quarterfinals, fast rising German caught fire at the perfect moment. The turning point of her tournament was the clash against compatriot Mona Barthel, when she had to recover from a 5-2 deficit in the decider and to save two match points before prevailing 6-2,0-6,7-5. Having barely escaping defeat, Angelique knew she has to lift her game if she wants to have a shot at the title. She did just that and the results were impressive as she destroyed former world number 1 Jelena Jankovic in their semifinals meeting. The German was rarely troubled by her Serbian opponent, losing just three games in what was a comprehensive 6-1,6-2 victory.

Facing Danish darling Caroline Wozniacki in the final, Angelique managed to take full advantage of her big game, ending Wozniacki's perfect record at her home event with a straight sets victory. "It was amazing to play in front of this crowd, even though most of them supported Caroline," said Kerber. "It was a great atmosphere and it was good fun to play. And I felt like I had nothing to lose. If I lost the match, it's okay against her. It made me take more chances and I'm glad it worked out." 

The win marks her fourth success against a top 10 player this year, the previous ones being against Sharapova and Bartoli in Paris, respectively Li at Indian Wells. Consequently, she is now 4-1 against top 10 players (her sole loss coming at the hands of Victoria Azarenka in the semis at Indian Wells) and with two titles to her name already this season she is quickly emerging as a force to be reckoned with in women's tennis.

Wozniacki on the other hand is now left facing another setback in the attempt to reclaim her reign over the WTA tour. After being deprived of the number 1 status, she has witnessed while another piece of her crown was taking away from her. Although she is threatening to return to the winning circle for some time now, so far she wasn't be able to keep her promise. Moreover, with Serena Williams back to her best, Azarenka's flawless display, Kvitova and Sharapova hitting harder than ever and the rise of the Germans, her task looks harder than ever before.

Having compiled a 14-0 record before her encounter with Kerber,  home star Wozniacki was denied a hat-trick in Copenhagen falling to the fast rising German in straight sets, 6-4,6-4

photos (top-down): GETTY IMAGES, AP