Return Winners: The 2013 Nurnberg Open

Two players moving in the right direction met for the title at the inaugural event.

From the start of 2012 until the first few months 2013, Andrea Petkovic spent more time off the court than on it due to multiple injuries. A back injury, followed by ankle and knee surgeries put her ranking in the triple digits. All of this occurred after her breakthrough season in 2011, when she cracked the Top 10 for the first time.

Upon her return from knee surgery in March 2013, Petkovic struggled to regain her form. Things began to click after the French Open, when she won an ITF tournament in Marseille, France. Her next event was in her home country of Germany at the Nurnberg Cup, a new clay-court event on the calendar. Receiving a wild card into the main draw, Petkovic reached the final by defeating three seeds along the way, including top seed Jelena Jankovic in the semifinal.

On the other side of the draw, young Romanian Simona Halep was inching towards a breakthrough. The seventh seed, who was coming off a first-round loss at the French Open, breezed through her first three matches against unseeded opponents in Nurnberg. In the semifinals, Halep faced Lucie Safarova, needing three sets to reach the fourth final of her career.

Going into the match, there was no doubt over whom the crowd would be pulling for. Looking to extend her win streak to 10 matches, Petkovic came out playing her usual aggressive brand of tennis. However, Halep was able to match—and surpass her—to take the first set 6-3.

Petkovic struggled with Halep’s serve the whole match as she was unable to garner a break despite having eight opportunities. On four separate occasions, Halep delivered aces to clinch service games. The Romanian won the second set by an identical 6-3 score to secure the first title of her career.

1

This was the first clay-court final Petkovic lost, having won her two career singles titles up to this point on the dirt.

6

Halep's first title was followed in rapid succession by five more, bringing her season tally to six ('s-Hertogenbosch, Budapest, New Haven, Moscow and the WTA Elite Trophy).