  Li Na of China holds up the championship trophy after defeating Angelique Kerber of Germany at the women's Cincinnati Open tennis tournament in Cincinnati, Ohio August 19, 2012. (John Sommers II/REUTERS) |
MASON, OHIO - China's Li Na rallied from one set down Sunday to beat Angelique Kerber in the final of the $2.168 million Western & Southern Open.
Seeded ninth, Li captured her sixth career WTA title and first of the season with a 1-6, 6-3, 6-1 victory over the fifth-seeded German.
Li, 30, never had to hit a second serve and broke Kerber three times in a dominant third set. She was playing in her second straight final after falling to Petra Kvitova in Montreal last week.
The 24-year-old Kerber was already a two-time winner this season, capturing her first WTA titles in Paris and Copenhagen. Sunday was her fourth final of the season.
Li, who had beaten Venus Williams in the semifinals Saturday, earned $385,000 for the victory. Kerber pocketed $192,000.
