Pliskova too strong for Vandeweghe in Stuttgart final

Karolina Pliskova won her first title of 2018 and ended CoCo Vandeweghe’s impressive week with a 7-6(2) 6-4 win in the Stuttgart Open final on Sunday.

The sixth-seeded Czech held her nerve at key times to win her her 10th career title in just under two hours.

Pliskova, who fired 41 aces over four matches on her way to the final, added another 11 against Vandeweghe.

She recovered from dropping her opening service game to force a tie-break, and then reeled off seven straight points from 2-0 down to clinch the set.

.@KaPliskova wins her first WTA title of 2018 at @PorscheTennis!

Outlasts Vandeweghe, 7-6(2), 6-4! pic.twitter.com/8QFQQAe4eS

— WTA (@WTA) April 29, 2018

Pliskova took command of the second set with a run of three games in a row but needed two opportunities before finally closing it out on serve.

“My serve was okay, the end was a little bit shaky I would say, but it’s normal when you are playing and the car is waiting there,” Pliskova told wtatour.com.

“I think the trouble was the game when it was 5-2. I started kind of slow. I didn’t really serve well that game, there was one double fault.

Vandeweghe, a wildcard entry, had defeated the defending champion Laura Siegemund and three top-10 players including world No. 1 Simona Halep during the week.

She had been bidding to be the first American winner in Stuttgart since Lindsay Davenport in 2005.

“The only thing I know is I gave everything I had out there today,” said Vandeweghe.

“I tried to change it up every once in a while, tried to hustle down extra balls, I missed a few volleys that I probably would like to have back.

“I’m very proud of my performance.”