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Angelique Kerber knocks out Venus Williams in Sydney

By Harry Floyd

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 08: Angelique Kerber of Germany reacts winning a point in her first round match against Lucie Safarova of Czech Republic during day two of the 2018 Sydney International at Sydney Olympic Park Tennis Centre on January 8, 2018 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Zak Kaczmarek/Getty Images)
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 08: Angelique Kerber of Germany reacts winning a point in her first round match against Lucie Safarova of Czech Republic during day two of the 2018 Sydney International at Sydney Olympic Park Tennis Centre on January 8, 2018 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Zak Kaczmarek/Getty Images) /
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Angelique Kerber is unseeded this week at the Sydney International. The former world No. 1 is into the quarterfinals at the tournament.

Angelique Kerber finds herself in an unusual position this week at the Sydney International. The former world No. 1 in women’s singles tennis is unseeded at the WTA Tour event.

The German tennis star defeats American Venus Williams who came in as the No. 2 seed in Sydney. The win over Williams catapults Kerber into the quarterfinals at the tournament where she now faces the also unseeded Dominika Cibulkova tomorrow.

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Kerber takes down Williams in three sets, winning 5-7, 6-3, 6-1. After a hard fought first set, the German tennis star found her rhythm and cruised past Williams to take the match. Having a stellar 2017 WTA Tour, Williams enters 2018 as the world No. 5 in women’s singles tennis.

Angelique Kerber is a former runner-up at the Sydney International.

There is no doubt that the German feels comfortable in Australia. Having performed well at Sydney in the past, and also being an Australian Open champion, she is an interesting player to watch these next few weeks.

Kerber has made changes to her team over the offseason and is hopeful that she can once again reach the top of the rankings. In 2016, she took home the title at Melbourne Park, defeating American superstar Serena Williams 6–4, 3–6, 6–4 in the finals. Williams has pulled out of the 2018 Grand Slam event despite being the defending champion. She is not quite ready to make her return to competitive action since giving birth to her daughter.

Next: Top 10: Men's Singles Tennis

The action at Melbourne Park now is wide Open. Kerber, having the experience and talent necessary, can make a run at the upcoming Australian Open. The top seed in Sydney this week is Garbine Muguruza. She is yet to play her round of 16 match. Muguruza takes on Kiki Bertens on the Netherlands today as she attempts her quarterfinals bid in Sydney.

Look for Angelique Kerber to continue her fine play at the Sydney International. While Cibulkova is an extremely talented player and could spoil Kerber’s run, the German is coming off of a strong week of tennis at this year’s Hopman Cup. She looks to carry that momentum deeper into the action at the Sydney International. Stay tuned to see how Kerber fares throughout the rest of the week and then next week as play kicks off at Melbourne Park for the 2018 Australian Open.

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