(Reuters) - Angelique Kerber of Germany beat Karolina Pliskova in a tight three-set battle in the finals of the Bank of the West Classic on Sunday to match Serena Williams for most tournament titles this season.
Kerber closed out the up-and-coming Czech player by claiming the last two games of an entertaining two-hour, seven-minute contest for a 6-3 5-7 6-4 victory in Stanford, California.
It was Kerber's fourth victory of the year, tying Williams, who defeated the German in the Stanford final last year.
Williams's total, of course, includes the first three grand slam events of the season with a shot at a calendar-year Grand Slam sweep at the upcoming U.