BGL BNP Paribas Luxembourg Open, Luxembourg

[57] Andrea Petkovic (GER) vs. [85] Lauren Davis (USA)

Petkovic was once ranked in the top 10, then a slew of injuries led to some unexpected losses and she began to struggle with her confidence during matches.  When one of your weapons is your mobility, it’s understandable that she would lose confidence because of her lower extremity injuries.  She started this match well and was in complete control, while Davis was left befuddled and frustrated for the first half of the match.  Inexplicably the wheels came off for Petkovic.  Expected perhaps; however, given the fact that Davis has also been struggling to find her top form, this was an opportunity for Petkovic to gain another victory and grow her confidence.

Like her opponent, Davis is heavily dependent on her mobility.  For most of the match, I was under the impression that she was struggling with a left thigh injury, she repeatedly grabbed it and grimaced after some extended rallies and awkward lunges.  Things looked pretty grim for the American when Petkovic broke her in the second set after winning the first easily.  Yet, what caught my attention the first time I saw her play was her ability to fight through adversity.  She did so again today and came all the way back to defeat Petkovic 2-6, 7-5, 6-2. Davis has had to go through the qualifying rounds for most of the tournaments she has entered this season, a lot of tennis has been played and she will contest her third semifinal of the season against Petra Kvitova.  It will be a tough match-up for the American and it should be interesting to see how she stacks up against the red-hot Czech.

SOURCE OF IMAGE: Creative Commons (Getty Images)