Champion Angelique Kerber of Germany (left) and runner-up Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark pose next to the winner's prize, a Porsche 911 Carrera 4 GTS Cabriolet, after the final of the WTA Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart yesterday. (AFP)
 
DPA/Stuttgart

High-flying Angelique Kerber fought from the brink of defeat to beat Caroline Wozniacki 3-6, 6-1, 7-5 for the Porsche Grand Prix title in front of an ecstatic German home crowd yesterday.
The 14th-ranked Kerber sunk to her knees and was close to tears after rallying from both a set down and a 5-3 deficit in the third to win in 2 hours 4 minutes on her fourth match point, with a forehand winner.
Kerber got 100,000 euros (108,000 dollars) and a sports car from the tournament sponsor for her second straight title of the year and fifth overall.
World number five Wozniacki lost the Stuttgart final for a second time against a German, being beaten in 2011 by Julia Goerges.
Kerber is on an 11-match winning streak which includes the title in Charleston two weeks ago. In Stuttgart, she beat three-time reigning champion Maria Sharapova and sixth seed Ekaterina Makarova in earlier rounds.
“I fought with my heart and passion and I am mega proud to win at home,” the elated Kerber said at the trophy ceremony. “I fought until the end and got all my reserves out. We both played well and at our best in the end.”
Wozniacki said: “The small margins went her way. Hats off to her. At 5-3, 30-30 it could have gone either way. We are great friends, hang out a lot and train together. If you lose you at least lose against a friend.”
Many had expected a long baseline slugfest after Kerber had spent two and a half hours on court against Sharapova Thursday and Wozniacki almost three in her semi-final win over second seed Simona Halep.
But the first two sets lasted not even an hour as Wozniacki went one set up thanks to a fourth-game break and Kerber
then squared matters by storming through the second.
In the third, Wozniacki went 3-1 up, Kerber fought to 3-3, only to fall behind 5-3 again. Wozniacki was within two points of victory in the next game but in fact never got on the scoreboard again as, roared on by the crowd, Kerber took the next four games for the title.
She embraced her coach Torben Beltz and German Fed Cup captain Barbara Rittner after the match and proudly drove a few metres in the shiny white sports car before the Rolling Stones’ classic “Angie” echoed around the arena in her honour.
Garcia-Lopez wins in Bucharest
Spanish veteran Guillermo Garcia-Lopez won his fifth ATP title with a 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (13/11) victory over young Czech Jiri Vesely in the Bucharest claycourt final yesterday.
The 31-year-old fifth seed thwarted his 21-year-old opponent’s bid to win a second career trophy after his maiden crown at Auckland in January.