Pliskova vs. Kerber: Score, Reaction from 2015 Bank of the West Classic

Angelique Kerber battled both fatigue and a game Karolina Pliskova to win the 2015 Bank of the West Classic in Stanford, California, on Sunday. Kerber prevailed 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 in the final.

The two players exchanged haymaker after haymaker late in the match in an effort to put their opponent away. Neither Kerber nor Pliskova was fully healthy over the course of the match, which only heightened the desperation.

It was everything you could've asked for in a tournament final.

Coming into the match, Pliskova knew her serve could be a bit of an issue.

"There are a few things I would like to improve about the serve, mostly the percentage and not making mistakes at the end," she said Saturday, per Carl Steward of the San Jose Mercury News. "But I know in most of my matches, the serve can really help me. Even if I'm facing break points, I can hit a few good serves and be up again."

The first part of Pliskova's assessment certainly proved astute Sunday. The fact she was unable to correct her issues played a major role in her defeat.

Kerber blew through the first set with relative ease. She simply teed off on Pliskova's second serve. The 23-year-old Czech was a paltry 4-of-13 on second serve in the first frame, allowing Kerber seven break-point opportunities. She also double-faulted four times.

Rene Denfeld highlighted how Pliskova's poor serving to start the final was so unlike her with regard to the tournament as a whole:

The roles reversed a bit in the second set as Kerber's service game completely broke down. Even her first serve was ineffective, as she won 38 percent of her first-service points.

Had Pliskova been at 100 percent, she might have been able to secure the second in relatively short order. Instead, she was hobbled by an ankle injury that severely limited her movement. Upon taking a 5-4 set lead, she called for the trainer.

Immediately after the timeout, Kerber broke serve to tie the set at 5-5. It was the sixth service break in a row between the two. Pliskova made it seven in a row to go ahead 6-5 and then held serve in the 12th game to win the second set.

The ESPN cameras zoomed in on the conversation between Kerber and her coach, Torben Beltz, after the set concluded. Kerber was visibly frustrated by the discussion, which USA Today's Nick McCarvel thought made for great theater:

Although the momentum firmly rested with Pliskova, you wondered whether she had enough to put Kerber away. Her ankle wasn't going to get any better, while Kerber's serving was bound to regress closer to its normal levels.

Things looked promising early for Pliskova, as she broke Kerber's serve in the third game to go ahead 2-1 in the set. In addition, the 27-year-old German looked to be dealing with a knock of her own. She didn't call for the trainer, but some combination of injury and fatigue was beginning to take its toll.

Denfeld tried to shed some light on what the issue might have been:

The two engaged in another evenly matched set, with service breaks coming in great frequency. Eventually, Kerber held serve to go ahead 5-4, with Pliskova's fate resting firmly in her own hands.

At game point in the 10th game, Pliskova double-faulted, which opened the door for Kerber. Pliskova rescued herself in Kerber's first match-point opportunity but couldn't do it a second time.

TennisTV provided the full match stats, which illustrate how Pliskova was her own worst enemy:

Since she couldn't afford to get into extended rallies with Kerber, Pliskova opted for a much more risky approach. Her go-for-broke strategy resulted in a high number of winners, but those unforced errors really stand out. She also rushed the net far too often, especially when it became evident that it wasn't an efficient tactic.

This is Kerber's fourth singles title of the 2015 season, and she continues what has been an impressive back half of the campaign, per WTA Insider:

Serena Williams will obviously be the heavy favorite at the 2015 U.S. Open, but Kerber is making a case to be one of Williams' bigger threats in the Big Apple. Going 1-5 in six meetings with Williams is a bit of a concern, however.

Sunday's result will be extremely frustrating for Pliskova. On another day, she very easily could've prevailed. Perhaps she can use this as a building block ahead of the Rogers Cup. At least she'll have a day to rest following the flight from Stanford to Toronto.