Kerber earns third title of 2015
Angelique Kerber claimed her third WTA title of the year with a come-from-behind triumph over Karolina Pliskova at the Aegon Classic.
Germany's Angelique Kerber overcame a first-set loss to beat Karolina Pliskova 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 7-6 (7-4) in Sunday's Aegon Classic final.
The world number 10 - who had just three titles to her name at the start of 2015 - has now won a trio of tournaments this year, having also enjoyed success in Charleston and Stuttgart.
She showed tremendous mental strength to shrug off the disappointment of going a set down after spurning four set points and will hope her promising showing on grass will help recapture the form that ended with a Wimbledon semi-final appearance in 2012.
Kerber broke in the first game as Pliskova - often so dominant on serve - struggled with the 27-year-old's excellent returns.
Pliskova initially failed to put pressure on her opponent's serve and had to dig deep to hold and stay in the set when she trailed 0-40 at 3-5.
Having fought so hard to stay alive in the opener, the Czech finally came to life when returning in the next game and got the benefit of a net cord to level at 5-5.
After a hold apiece, the tie-break produced the best tennis of the first set as, with both players firmly in the groove, the variety and quality of shot-making stepped up a notch.
It was Pliskova who prevailed, carving out the decisive point with a deep serve that Kerber could only dump into the net.
The world number 12 looked to have carried that momentum into the second set when securing an immediate break, but Kerber won four games on the bounce on the way to levelling up the match - her aggressive approach paying dividends.
A growing tendency to come into the net proved fruitful for Kerber in the decider as she moved 3-1 up following an early break.
Kerber's nerves were evident when serving for the match as, in seeking to force the issue, she hit the net and went long with consecutive shots to give Pliskova two break-back points, the second of which was taken courtesy of a stunning lob.
With a tie-break needed to settle a keenly fought contest, the moment belonged to Kerber, who sealed a dramatic triumph with a pinpoint unreturned serve.