Charleston, SC (SportsNetwork.com) - No. 5 seed Angelique Kerber grinded out a 6-2, 4-6, 7-5 victory over seventh-seeded American Madison Keys in Sunday's Family Circle Cup final.
Kerber captured her first WTA title of the season and fourth of her career. She became the second straight German player to win this tournament following Andrea Petkovic's triumph over Jana Cepelova last year.
Keys had trouble on her own serve, and faced 16 break points - five of which Kerber converted.
The 20-year-old Keys defeated Kerber in three sets in last year's Eastbourne final for the lone title of her career.