STUTTGART, Germany (AP) Angelique Kerber defended her Porsche Grand Prix title with a comprehensive 6-4, 6-0 win over qualifier Laura Siegemund in Sunday's all-German final.
Siegemund made a great start and went 3-0 up in nine minutes, but Kerber recovered and converted three of her five break opportunities to take the first set in 39 minutes at the indoor clay-court tournament.
The Australian Open champion started the second set with a break and capitalized on a host of unforced errors from Siegemund - playing her first final in her hometown - to wrap up the match in 81 minutes with her first match point.
''It doesn't get any better. I needed a bit of time to find my rhythm and I'm happy I managed it in the end,'' Kerber said.
It was the ninth career win for the second-seeded Kerber, and the first time she had successfully defended a title.
The 71st-ranked Siegemund bettered her previous best finish, a quarterfinal on clay at Charleston this month. She had seen off top-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska, fourth-seeded Simona Halep and sixth-seeded Roberta Vinci and didn't drop a set in reaching the final. She'll reach a career-high 42nd place in the rankings on Monday.
''I'm really tired and I know I can play much better,'' the 28-year-old Siegemund said. ''There is no situation in tennis in which you play more games than at a tournament, and at some stage the limit is reached.''