At BNP Paribas Open, Angelique Kerber scores first WTA 1000 win since motherhood

Angelique Kerber’s comeback hit a new plateau at the BNP Paribas Open: the former world No. 1 clinched a 6-3, 6-4 win over Petra Martic, securing her first WTA 1000 victory since leaving the tour in 2022 to give birth to her first child.

"It's crazy how fast one year has gone," Kerber said on court after the match, offering a message to her baby daughter. "Follow your heart and enjoy what you love. Dream big!"

Kerber announced her maternity leave just days before the 2022 US Open, welcoming Liana with partner Franco Bianco the following February. She made good on her promise to return to action at the start of 2024, where she won a match at United Cup but lost in both of her subsequent appearances at the Australian Open and in Linz.

Turning 36 in mid-January, Kerber looked fresh in her first BNP Paribas Open appearance since 2022 and made quick work of her first meeting with Martic in over a decade, defeating the Croatian in 90 minutes on Stadium 1 court. No. 10 seed Jelena Ostapenko awaits in the second round.

Kerber and Martic’s head-to-head dates all the way back to 2008, where a then-20-year-old Kerber met a No. 237-ranked Martic in the first round of a WTA tournament in Portoroz, Slovenia. Both would go on to crack the Top 20, with Kerber winning three major titles and topping the world rankings for the first time in 2016.

At 33 years old Martic is down from her career-high ranking of No. 14 and, unseeded at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, struggled early against Kerber despite the slow conditions and surrendered the first break of serve.

Though the Croat quickly broke back, Kerber was undaunted, winning a long sixth game to retrieve the initative and served out the opening set on her second opportunity.

The second set followed in similar fashion to the first, with Kerber emerging from an early exchange of breaks and proving more consistent than Martic, pushing for a potential double-break advantage.

Martic, who played an entertaining Qatar TotalEnergies Open contest against Naomi Osaka last month, gamely saved three break points to stay within reach but Kerber dug out of a 0-30 deficit to keep the pressure on as the match reached its critical point.

Serving for the match, Kerber raced to double match point, converting her second to book an intriguing clash with Ostapenko, the 2017 Roland Garros champion.

The pair last faced off in Cincinnati in 2021, where Kerber rallied from a set down to defeat the Latvian in three, but Ostapenko has enjoyed an excellent start to 2024, winning two titles and returning to the Top 10 for the first time since 2018.