ASB Classic, Auckland 

Lauren Davis had to play smarter and cleaner tennis because she lacks the firepower of her opponent, Sloane Stephens.  Her ability to beat someone who hits the ball with more power and pace comes from her quickness around the court, which gets her into position and allows her to time her swing and accurately place her shots.  She was unable to do this in the first set because Stephens came out very alert.

Unforced errors was the story of the first set and Davis saw her chance of winning the match slipping away in the second set when she was down break points. Yet, she did not panic.  She remained confident in her game and found her range and her rhythm; thus, cutting down on her errors, while Stephens started making more errors. As Stephens mentally collapsed in the third set, Davis got stronger.  She grew more aggressive, played crisper, charged the net, and squashed any belief Stephens may have had that she could turn the match around.

SCORE: [CR54] L. Davis (USA)  def.  [CR35] S. Stephens (USA) 1-6, 6-4, 6-1