Bianca Andreescu upset three-time major champion Angelique Kerber 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 to win the BNP Paribas Open, becoming at age 18 the first wild-card winner in tournament history.

Bianca Andreescu, of Canada, smiles as she hugs her trophy after defeating Angelique Kerber, of Germany, in the women's final at the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament Sunday, March 17, 2019, in Indian Wells, California.
Bianca Andreescu, of Canada, smiles as she hugs her trophy after defeating Angelique Kerber, of Germany, in the women's final at the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament Sunday, March 17, 2019, in Indian Wells, California. (AP)

Canadian sensation Bianca Andreescu became the first wild card to win the WTA title at Indian Wells on Sunday with a gritty 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 victory over Wimbledon champion Angelique Kerber.

Andreescu, 18, shook off fatigue to topple the eighth-ranked German, who hasn't won a title since she beat Serena Williams in last year's Wimbledon final for her third Grand Slam crown.

Bianca Andreescu of Canada shakes hands at the net after her three set victory against Angelique Kerber of Germany in the womens final on day fourteen of the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 17, 2019 in Indian Wells, California.
Bianca Andreescu of Canada shakes hands at the net after her three set victory against Angelique Kerber of Germany in the womens final on day fourteen of the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 17, 2019 in Indian Wells, California. (AFP)

Ranked 60th coming into the tournament,  Andreescu is projected to rise 36 spots to 24th in the world with her first WTA title.

The Canadian overcame nerves, arm and leg issues in the final set Sunday to earn the first title of her fledgeling career.

Andreescu won on her fourth match point when Kerber netted a backhand. Kerber was the last of five seeded players that Andreescu knocked off in her seven matches in the Southern California desert.

Bianca Andreescu, of Canada, returns a shot to Angelique Kerber, of Germany, during the women's final at the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament Sunday, March 17, 2019, in Indian Wells, California.
Bianca Andreescu, of Canada, returns a shot to Angelique Kerber, of Germany, during the women's final at the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament Sunday, March 17, 2019, in Indian Wells, California. (AP)

Kerber remains without a title since winning Wimbledon last year.

Canada's Bianca Andreescu beats three-time major champion Angelique Kerber 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 to win the BNP Paribas Open, becoming at age 18 the first wild-card winner in tournament history.

Angelique Kerber, of Germany, returns a shot to Bianca Andreescu, of Canada, at the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament Sunday, March 17, 2019, in Indian Wells, California.
Angelique Kerber, of Germany, returns a shot to Bianca Andreescu, of Canada, at the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament Sunday, March 17, 2019, in Indian Wells, California. (AP)
Source: TRTWorld and agencies