American Lauren Davis recorded one of the upsets of the tournament on another glorious summer afternoon in her nation’s capital, ousting third seed Monica Puig in a comprehensive 6-4, 6-2 victory to her place in the quarterfinals of the 2016 Citi Open, where she will meet Italy’s Camila Giorgi.
Davis Recovers from Early Deficit to Secure Drawn-Out Opening Set
Despite an early slip up on serve, which she would promptly recover from, it was the third seed—and arguably more experienced of the two—who was the first to settle in, jumping out to a commanding 3-0 lead after opening the match with a crucial break sandwiched in between a pair of relatively straightforward holds. But from there, everything seemed to shift into the hands of the American, whose ability to consistently and efficiently redirect Puig’s firepower was beginning to cause the Puerto Rican all sorts of trouble.
Shortly after getting on the board in the fourth game, Davis’ chances of reclaiming the early break looked rather slim as Puig held a pair of game points to reestablish the three-game cushion. However, a few untimely miscues from the racquet of the Puerto Rican number one and some stellar hitting from Davis seemed to level the playing field, and it was only a matter of time until the American recovered the early break, doing so at the second time of asking. Moments later, Davis restored parity at three-games-apiece and was showing no signs of slowing down.
From there, both players exchanged a pair of holds, before it was Davis who was beginning to beg the question from the receiving end once more. Almost out of nowhere, the world number 122 launched a surprise attack, earning herself three chances to serve for the opening set. Despite not taking the first of those of opportunities, it would later prove to be a case of third time lucky as a costly forehand into the net from Puig managed to seal Davis the ultimately decisive break. Wasting no time in serving out the set, an emphatic hold at love was enough to seal the American the opening set, winning it by six games to four.
Davis Breaks Twice to Seal Straight-Sets Victory
Picking up right where she left off, Davis wasted no time in claiming her third break of the content, thus putting herself a set and a break to the good. From there, the set would go with serve until the seventh game where once again, Davis, as proficient as she had been on break points, began to beg the question once more. After saving three break points en route to holding for 4-2 in her last service game, the American’s persistence was finally rewarded with a break point of her own, which she managed to take almost immediately in order to earn the insurance break and with that, a commanding 5-2 lead. Much like in the opening set, Davis wasted little time serving out the match; another unforced error from the racquet of the third-seeded Puerto Rican sealing the comprehensive victory for the American.
Post-Match Thoughts from Davis
After her straight-sets victory, Davis reflected on what she felt was the key to her comeback from an early deficit. “I got down an early break; she was playing really well, solid, hitting the ball deep and hard,” she said. “I kind of had a slow start, but I started to be more positive with myself, uplifting. I think that's what turned the score.”
“I switched coaches two weeks ago, but same game plan and tactics. He changed my forehand a little bit and we worked really hard. I have a lot of confidence heading into the hard-court season, so I'm just looking forward to my next match.”