Aegon Classic: Angelique Kerber wins title in Birmingham

Angelique Kerber was ranked 10th in the world coming into the tournament

Fourth seed Angelique Kerber beat Karolina Pliskova in three sets to win the Aegon Classic in Birmingham.

German left-hander Kerber, 27, had to recover from losing an opening-set tie-break to win 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 7-6 (7-4) and claim a third title of the year.

Czech 23-year-old Pliskova, who hit 52 winners to Kerber's 34, was up an early break in the third set of the two-hour, 16-minute match.

"This gives me a lot of confidence," world number 10 Kerber told BBC WM.

"My goal coming to Birmingham was to get a lot of matches. Now I have had my fifth of the week, it couldn't be better preparation before Wimbledon.

"I'll just enjoy the day today, and we'll see what comes next."

Qualifying for Wimbledon begins this week, before the main draw gets under way on Monday, 29 June.