Angelique Kerber beat Dominika Cibulkova 6-3 6-3 to reach the third round at the Nature Valley International in Eastbourne. The former world number 1 beat her Slovakian rival for the second time in 2018.
The German broke twice to seal the first set and held off a fight-back from Cibulkova to clinch their first head-to-head match on grass.
Kerber earned her first break in the third game to take a 2-1 lead. She never faced a break point in the first set and earned her double break at deuce in the ninth game to close it out 6-3. Kerber held her serve in the third game after saving three break points to take a 2-1 lead. The German broke serve in the fourth game but Cibulkova broke straight back on her second chance at deuce. Kerber sealed the win with another break on her second chance at deuce and served out for the match at 30 in the next game.
The 2016 double Grand Slam champion hit 26 winners to just 14 unforced errors and converted four of her eight break points. The German will take on US rising star Danielle Collins.
Kerber is the only German player remained in the tournament after Julia Goerges was defeated by Aryna Sabalenka 1-6 6-4 6-4.
This year Kerber has made her come-back to the top 10 after a successful season, in which she reached the semifinal at the Australian Open and the quarter final at Roland Garros, where she lost to eventual champion Simona Halep in three sets.
“We have played so many times in the last few years. It’s always a tough battle and today was really close; every point felt quite close. I am really happy to be back in Eastbourne. It’s great to see the people here and all the fans who support me. Dominika is a tough opponent and it’s never easy to play against her. I think I played good and I am happy about my performance today”.
