Stuttgart was ready to welcome the 2016 Australian Open champion in the Porsche Arena on Wednesday as Angelique Kerber made her return to the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, coming home not only as the newest slam champion, but also as the defending Stuttgart champ.
What was planned to be a triumphant return started off on the wrong foot as Kerber’s opponent, young German Annika Beck, came out guns blazing, taking the first set from Kerber much to the surprise of the crowd. It took Kerber all the way to halfway through the second set to finally take control of her match, forcing a third set in which Beck finally faded away, allowing Kerber to move into the tournament’s quarter-final stage.