Marketa Vondrousova returns to winner's circle, takes Berlin title over Wang Xinyu

Former Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova's latest comeback from injury is picking up steam.

The Czech left-hander captured the WTA 500 title at the Berlin Tennis Open on Sunday by outlasting China's Wang Xinyu 7-6(10), 4-6, 6-2, capping a week that also saw her upset reigning Australian Open champion Madison Keys and world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.

The win is Vondrousova's first title since she lifted the Venus Rosewater Dish at SW19 two years ago, and will put her back in the Top 100 in the WTA rankings. The former world No. 6 entered the tournament at No. 164, making her the lowest-ranked champion in event history.

Following Wimbledon last year, where she lost in the first round as defending champion, Vondrousova underwent surgery on her left shoulder. She returned in January, but a thigh injury forced her to retire in the second round of Adelaide against Diana Shnaider, and she subsequently pulled out of the Australian Open. Vondrousova then compiled a 3-3 record in the Middle East in February, including a run to the Abu Dhabi quarterfinals, but did not play again until Roland Garros due to a flare-up of her shoulder problem.

"We came here to try and win the first match, and now this is happening, so I'm very grateful to be standing here," the 25-year-old said in her victory speech.

On a sweltering day in Berlin, winning a 62-minute first set proved crucial to Vondrousova's eventual victory. She fell behind by a break at 5-3, and denied Wang two chances to serve for the set before a titanic tiebreak escape. She trailed 6-3, and saved six set points, before eventually converting her third.

After 49th-ranked Wang, who upset Roland Garros champion Coco Gauff in the second round on the way to her first WTA singles final, took the second set from an early break down, Vondrousova wrestled early momentum away with a love break to start the third and never looked back.

Though Vondrousova ended the match with fewer winners (22 to 31), she also made fewer unforced errors (26 to 44) than Wang. Efficiency on break points also proved key; the Czech converted five of six, which saving five of the nine she faced. Two of those came at 4-1 in the final set, where Vondrouosva wiggled out of a 15-40 deficit that would've given Wang an opportunity to creep closed on the scoreboard and extend the match.