Caroline Wozniacki faces a real test against Germany's Andrea Petkovic in the last eight of Stuttgart.
Wozniacki is the form player going into this tournament after tournament victories in Indian Wells and Charleston over the past month. The world number one surged past Slovakia's Zuzana Kucova 6-1, 6-2 in just over an hour on Wednesday and now faces Petkovic in a fascinating quarter-final on Thursday night.
Petkovic has been one of the tour's big movers over the past year and her run to the Miami semi-finals earlier this month pushed her into the world's top twenty for the first time. The German is full of belief right now especially after toppling Wozniacki 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 during that run.
She delighted her home fans on Wednesday by taking out former champion Jelena Jankovic 3-6, 6-1, 6-3 and afterwards attributed her success to the vociferous home support.
"I always compare myself with a diesel engine. I need time to get going then everything's fine," Petkovic said. "At any other tournament I wouldn't have the strength to fight my way back into it, but with this fantastic crowd, you simply can't let up. You find reserves even when you think you've got nothing left."
Wozniacki will be hungry for revenge after that Miami loss and Petkovic knows she's in for the long haul as the Dane's famed defensive abilities are even harder to break down on clay. However in her current form she has a shot.
Prediction: Wozniacki in three
