Angelique Kerber: Qatar Total Open loss, a look at 2017 so far

Angelique Kerber is off to a rocky start in 2017. Why is the recent world No. 1 continuing to struggle on the WTA Tour this season?

Angelique Kerber continues to struggle on the 2017 WTA Tour.

The German tennis player reached unprecedented heights in 2016, becoming the world No. 1 while winning both the Australian and US Open. The Grand Slam titles were her first and she came into 2017 with a new confidence.

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Her 2017 Australian Open did not go as planned. Despite a solid showing, Kerber was upset in a fourth round match by American Coco Vandeweghe.

Coming into the Qatar Total Open, Kerber was the world No. 2, just behind American superstar Serena Williams. The American made history by winning another Australian Open title last month.

In Qatar, Kerber was the top seed.

After her first round bye, the German tennis player faced 19-year-old Daria Kasatkina of Russia. While Kasatkina did come onto the scene last year with strong showings in the first three legs of the Grand Slams, Kerber was the heavy favorite in Doha.

The world No. 2 dropped the first set, 4-6.

She rebounded strong in the second set, however, reasserting her dominance on the court. Kerber won the second set 6-0. Momentum was back in the hands of favorite. But she could not carry that momentum into the final set of the match.

Angelique Kerber lost to Daria Kasatkina 4-6, 6-0, 4-6.

The loss is a shock to the world No. 2 and begs the question, what is wrong is Kerber? She saw an early exit at Brisbane, which was followed by another upset in Sydney. Kerber appeared to be somewhat back on track at Melbourne Park before the Vandeweghe straight set upset. Now, the upset in Doha puts the world No. 2 in a critical position on tour.

How she reacts to this loss will be important for the rest of her 2017 WTA Tour. Despite the loss, Kerber spoke optimistically about focusing on the next week ahead.

Next: 2017 WTA Tour: 5 Players To Watch

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