Germany’s Andrea Petkovic continued her remarkable comeback this 2014 season by reaching the French Open 2014 quarterfinals. Petkovic ended the run of qualifier Kiki Bertens 1-6, 6-2, 7-5 to book her place in the final eight of the claycourt Grand Slam tournament.
“It was super tough, because I didn’t know her at all. I just stalked her on YouTube yesterday the whole day, and I was already impressed yesterday,” Petkovic admitted. “I think she’s going to be a force on the WTA when she gets fitter and recovers from her injuries that she’s had.
“After going down 5-4 in the third, I just sort of told myself, ‘Okay, listen, you have to play aggressive. You have to go for your shots, and nobody’s going to give you a place in the quarterfinals just because you’re nice, so go get it.’ I started playing more aggressively and it paid off in the end.
“After all my injuries, it’s been a very long time that I was out. You sort of forget a lot of things. Now it’s a process. It’s a process. I’m still not there where I want to be. It’s a long way to go. Nowhere near the end.”
Petkovic is aiming for a place in a Grand Slam semifinal for the first time but she will have to get past Sara Errani, a former finalist who’s reached the quarterfinal stage for the third straight year.
