Angelique Kerber
IN PHOTO: Mar 13, 2015; Indian Wells, CA, USA; Angelique Kerber (GER) in her match against Sloane Stephens (USA) during the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Angelique Kerber is the new champion at the 2015 Family Circle Cup in Charleston. Kerber won the title after beating the right-handed American player Madison Keys 6-2 4-6 7-5 in the finale.

Kerber, who advanced in the finals after dispatching 2014 champion Andrea Petkovic, fought back in a decider to defeat Keys to claim her maiden title at the Family Circle Cup. The 27-year-old German and fifth-seeded Kerber broke Keys three times to win the first set. However, the seventh-seeded American fought back with her powerhouse forehand winners in the second set to force a decider.

In the third and final set, Keys seemed to have total control leading 4-1, but Kerber made a comeback, winning 12 of the next 16 points to even the score at 4-all. Kerber won six of the last seven games to clinch the victory in the match that lasted two hours and 16 minutes. Kerber has extended her head-to-head record with Keys 3-1.

Speaking after the match, Kerber said that playing on clay courts were never really her “favourite surface,” but added that her experience playing on those courts made her game better as it made her play “defensively and aggressively.” Altogether, Kerber was extremely happy with her victory.

“To win her in Charleston, it feels great,” Kerber said. “I had a great week.”

In the women's doubles event, Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza won the title after beating Australian Casey Dellacqua and partner Darija Jurak. Hingis and Mirza only needed 57 minutes to take home the women’s double title 6-0 6-4.

Hingis and Mirza went on to the finals after defeating Anastasia Rodionova and Arina Rodionova in the first round 6-7(9) 6-3 10-5. Then, they beat the 2014 champions Anabel Medina Garrigues and Yaroslava Shvedova in the quarterfinals 7-5 4-6 13-11 to advance in the next round, where they defeated Alla Kudryavtseva and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-4 1-6 10-7.

Following the victory, Mirza made history by becoming the first female tennis player from India to reach to top spot in the doubles world rankings. Mirza received 470 points from the $731,000 clay court Charleston event to climb a notch past Italy’s Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci.

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