Has Angelique Kerber Become the WTA's New Queen of Clay?

Angelique Kerber won two clay-court titles in one month. Undefeated on clay this year, Kerber even dethroned Maria Sharapova, the three-time defending champion at Stuttgart. With Madrid, Rome and the French Open just weeks away, has Kerber established herself as the WTA Tour's new Queen of Clay?  

Kerber defeated Caroline Wozniacki 3-6, 6-1, 7-5 to capture the crown at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, her fifth career title. 

The win moved Kerber up five spots to No. 7 in the WTA's Road to Singapore annual points race. She is 11-0 on clay, including a win during Fed Cup play. 

Kerber's winning streak includes an upset over Sharapova, the reigning French Open champion.

Kerber has emerged as an unlikely top French Open title contender despite never having advanced beyond the quarterfinals at Roland Garros. 

This newfound success on clay came at a time when Kerber was struggling on tour. She lost in the first rounds of the Australian Open, Antwerp, Doha, and Indian Wells. This year, she's 8-9 away from the clay. 

She had lost nine of her last 11 matches before heading to Charleston for the Family Circle Cup. That's when her fortunes turned. She put together a series of comebacks. With Sharapova and Serena Williams looking vulnerable, Kerber's chances at Roland Garros are as good as anybody's. 

Even Kerber is surprised by her recent success on clay. Quoted by Pete Iacobelli of The Associated Press, via U.S. News & World Report, Kerber said, "You know, it was never my favorite surface. But it's changed in the last year. I knew that I can play also on clay and it's good also for my (overall) game because I'm playing defensive and being aggressive."

Once ranked as high as No. 5, Kerber had fallen to No. 16 this year. She appeared unsure about her game.

Almost as remarkable as Kerber's clay-court run has been the way she's come back when she seemed down for the count. She was down 4-1 against Madison Keys in the final at Charleston before storming back to take the third set 7-5. 

Against Sharapova, Kerber rebounded after a slow start. Sharapova, blasting forehand winners, took the first set 6-3. The second set was a slugfest, with Kerber using her defensive skills to stay close to Sharapova.

The third set was all Kerber. She landed an amazing 90 percent of her first serves and faced just one break point. She pulled off one incredible winner after another, including massive forehands down the line. When Sharapova tried to sneak in a drop shot, Kerber responded by hitting a winner. Every time it seemed as if Kerber had shifted into her highest gear, she lifted her level of play higher.

It was the first loss at Stuttgart for Sharapova, who had been undefeated there.

The win at Stuttgart capped an exhausting few weeks for Kerber. After the final, Kerber addressed the crowd of mostly delighted Germans. Her words, via BBC Sport: "I am completely done here, empty. I gave everything I had and the crowd just carried me. I had to fight until the very end and I could not have done it without this crowd."

Fighting to the end is what has helped Kerber remain unbeaten on clay. It's also landed her name among the WTA's clay-court royalty. Still, Kerber has much work to do before she can claim the title of the Queen of Clay. Her highness, Serena Williams, is also undefeated on the clay this year.