By Chris Oddo | Tuesday January 23, 2018
Angelique Kerber is back with a vengeance in 2018.
The German improved to 10-0 on the season and reached her sixth career major semifinal with a 6-1, 6-2 thrashing of American Madison Keys in Wednesday’s first quarterfinal at Melbourne Park.
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Kerber, who struggled mightily in 2017 after rising to No.1 in 2016 and winning two major titles, has found her groove again this season. She’s working with new coach Wim Fissette, and appears to be benefitting not only from the new relationship, but an overall new lease on life.
It’s a common theme in tennis—players typically struggle to maintain a certain level after breakout performances that often come bundled with increased media expectations as well as the proverbial target on the back that causes other players to work that much harder to beat higher-ranked players.
But Kerber’s version of the story is drastic. She was so good in 2016, winning two majors and ending the year at No.1, that it seemed she had crossed a point of no return. At the time it was difficult to imagine her struggling ever again, but 2017 showed how fragile the mindset of even the most talented players can be. Not only did Kerber not win a major in 2017, she went 1-12 against the Top 20 and dropped all the way back down the rankings, outside of the Top 20.
She improved to 3-0 vs. the Top 20 in 2018 with her win over Keys today.
But thus far in 2018, she has reverted to 2016 form. Perhaps she has had enough time to process the pressure and properly compartmentalize it. Perhaps she is simply feeling fit and hungry to prove herself again. Whatever the psychological reason, it appears that Kerber is ready to rise to the top of the game again.
She was dominant against Keys on Wednesday and improved to 6-1 against the hard-hitting American by converting six of nine break points and winning 19 of 23 first-serve points to keep the No.17 seed at bay.
The match was never in doubt.
It has always been a difficult matchup for Keys, who struggles against counterpunchers and retrievers who aren’t intimidated by her powerful serve and groundstrokes, but full credit to Kerber, who was pretty much flawless in taking down Keys in 51 minutes.
There was only one brief moment of doubt when Keys broke for 2-3 in the second set to get back on serve, but the 30-year-old German rolled through the final three games to book her spot in the semis, where she’ll face either Simona Halep or Karolina Pliskova.
Whether she wins or loses in the semifinals, Kerber has achieved two things that should fuel her in 2018: She’s got her swagger back, and her Top 10 ranking.