Angelique Kerber began her season at the Hopman Cup to represent Germany with Alexander Zverev but lost in the final to Switzerland. At the Sydney International, Kerber claimed her first title since winning the 2016 US Open defeating local favorite Ashleigh Barty in straight sets. At the Australian Open, Kerber was able to reach the semifinals of a slam for the first time since her US Open triumph but lost to Simona Halep in three sets after failing to convert two match points she had in the final set. She then played in the middle east, where lost in the quarterfinals of the Qatar Total Open losing to then World no. 1 Caroline Wozniacki in three sets and to Elina Svitolina at the Dubai Tennis Championships in the semifinals. She then reached back-to-back quarterfinals at the BNP Paribas Open and Miami Open falling to Daria Kasatkina and Sloane Stephens, respectively.