Kerber emulates Graf with Paris Open triumph

Angelique Kerber became the first German since the great Steffi Graf to win the WTA Paris Open as she beat home hope Marion Bartoli in Sunday’s final.

 Kerber battled past the second seed 7-6 5-7 6-3 to land her first career title after a superb week.

She knocked out top seed Maria Sharapova in Friday’s quarterfinals, her first-ever win over a top-10 player.

Graf won the corresponding tournament in 1995 and if World No.27 Kerber was to emulate her she would have to beat Bartoli for the first time in five meetings.

 Kerber took the opener and led 3-0 in the second set until Bartoli battled back in typical style to level.

The 24-year-old Kerber again opened up a 3-0 advantage in the decider and this time held on to seal a memorable victory.

Her previous best performance was a beaten finalist in Bogota in 2010.

Source:CNN