<prompt> Qedela umusho olandelayo: UKerber uqale isizini yakhe ka-2018 ngokubonakala okokuqala emdlalweni  <response>: IHopman Cup, lapho abambisana khona no-Alexander Zverev. Akazange anqotshwe emidlalweni yakhe yedwa futhi wasiza iqembu ukuba lifinyelele ekugcineni lapho balahlekelwa khona yiSwitzerland. UKerber walandela leyo nqubo ngesihloko sakhe sokuqala esikhathini esingaphezu konyaka, eSydney International elandelayo. Ukuze afinyelele kowamanqamu, wadlula uLucie Šafářová noVenus Williams, wasindisa iphuzu lomdlalo ngokumelene nowangaphambili, ukuze afinyelele kowamanqamu lapho anqoba khona uDominika Cibulková. Wabeka umncintiswano womqhudelwano nenkanyezi yasekhaya u-Ashleigh Barty ngemva kokudlula uCamila Giorgi. Lapho, wanqoba i-Aussie ngamasethi alandelanayo ukuze athole isicoco sakhe se-11 somsebenzi wakhe. Emqhudelwaneni we-Australian Open, uKerber ongunombolo 21 wadlulela emzuliswaneni wesine ngokunqoba u-Anna-Lena Friedsam, uDonna Vekić kanye nowayengunombolo 1 womhlaba uMaria Sharapova, bonke besethi eqondile futhi belahla imidlalo engekho ngaphezu kwemine isethi. Lapho, wanqoba uHsieh Su-wei ngamasethi amathathu ukuze angene emdlalweni wakhe wesibili wama-quarterfinal lapha, lapho anqoba khona uMadison Keys. Emidlalweni yama-semi-final, lapho bebhekene no-Simona Halep, bobabili babenamaphuzu amabili okufana kusethi yesithathu kodwa akekho noyedwa owaguqulwa. Umdlalo wabe usuphelile ngo-9 kuya ku-7 kusethi yesithathu, kwaphumelela uHalep. Ngemuva kwehlobo lakhe elinamandla lase-Australia, uKerber wabuyela kwabayishumi abaphezulu futhi, waba ngowesishiyagalolunye emhlabeni. 