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Angelique Kerber wins Sydney, sets herself up for AusOpen

By Harry Floyd

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 13: Angelique Kerber of Germany poses with the winners trophy after the Women's Singles Final match against Ashleigh Barty of Australia during day seven of the 2018 Sydney International at Sydney Olympic Park Tennis Centre on January 13, 2018 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 13: Angelique Kerber of Germany poses with the winners trophy after the Women's Singles Final match against Ashleigh Barty of Australia during day seven of the 2018 Sydney International at Sydney Olympic Park Tennis Centre on January 13, 2018 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images) /
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Angelique Kerber completes the perfect start to her 2018 WTA Tour. The former world No. 1 is the women’s singles champion at the Sydney International.

Angelique Kerber is looking like her 2016 self right now. The former world No. 1 saw a career year in 2016, winning two Grand Slams, including one at the Australian Open.

Now, the German tennis star kicks off her 2018 WTA Tour with a title win at the Sydney International. Kerber defeats Ashleigh Barty 6-4, 6-4 in the Sydney finals. She heads into play at Melbourne Park with plenty of momentum.

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Kerber drops just two sets throughout her week in Sydney. One of those sets went to second seeded American star Venus Williams. The German would ultimately take their match in three sets, cruising through the final two sets against the American.

Angelique Kerber is the 2016 champion in women’s singles at Melbourne Park.

Kerber finds herself in a unique position this year. She enters the Australian Open as the No. 21 seed in the women’s singles field. Don’t let the seeding fool you though. Kerber is capable of becoming her world No. 1 self at any given moment.

Also seeing wins this week before the Australian Open were both Roberto Bautista Agut in Auckland and Elise Mertens in Hobart. Mertens defends her 2017 title at the Hobart International. Both players are interesting picks this coming week at Melbourne Park. This early in the year, you cannot discount the impact that a good mix of momentum and experience brings a player. The Grand Slam should see several top seeds go deep, but players such as Mertens, or Kerber especially, could make strong runs.

Next: AusOpen: Top 3 Men's Picks

Looking at Angelique Kerber in particular, the German has the veteran experience necessary for a title run at the Australian Open. With defending women’s singles champion Serena Williams out of the mix, Kerber is the most recent title holder in action on the women’s singles side. Top seed Simona Halep is without a doubt a player to watch. She remains in search of her first ever Grand Slam singles title on the WTA Tour. While she is a juniors champion, Halep is looking to become a household name in tennis. Stay tuned to see how Kerber and others fare during the opening weekend of the 2018 Australian Open.

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