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Former top 30 star Camila Giorgi will be spearheading the home contingent at the 2020 Palermo Ladies Open. As the highest-ranked Italian woman in the draw, Giorgi will be looking to make an impact in front of the home fans in what is the first professional tennis tournament since March.
Her first round opponent is the Swedish No. 1 Rebecca Peterson, who had some great results coming into 2020. Not only did Peterson reach her career-best ranking last year, she also won her first couple of WTA titles.
The Swede will be eager to resume where she left off when she returns to the court on Tuesday. It will be a tough battle against Giorgi, who on her day can quite simply be unplayable.
Rebecca Peterson has been playing regularly on the tour for quite a while now, but really came into her own during the latter half of last season. Her title runs in Jiangxi and Tianjin saw her record wins over fancied opponents including Venus Williams, Elina Rybakina and Ons Jabeur.
That late season surge would have boosted her confidence as she headed into the uncharted territory of the top 50. Peterson's real test, however, will be to hold on to this ranking and do consistently well against the top names.
She definitely has the game for that. While she is not the most explosive of players, Peterson still has a solid baseline game. She especially relies on her forehand to hit big winners, but is very consistent off both wings.
Camila Giorgi vs Rebecca Peterson head-to-head
While Rebecca Peterson's game has worked well for her in recent times, she will have to find a way to defuse Camila Giorgi's raw power.
The Italian is known for her aggressive no-holds-barred approach to the game. Right from the serve to the groundstrokes she likes to swing freely, and her pace of shot can be too much to handle for many.
Rebecca Peterson lost out to that approach in a close three-set contest, the last time these two played a full match. That was in Washington last year, and although they did play once more after that - in Wuhan - Giorgi had to retire with injury after losing the first set.
That means the head-to-head stands at 1-1. Peterson has had decent experience of handling raw power, having faced up to the likes of Serena Williams since, but it will be interesting to see how she approaches the match against Giorgi.
Camila Giorgi vs Rebecca Peterson prediction
Camila Giorgi will definitely look to dictate terms in the rallies for a majority of the match, and it will really come down to how well Rebecca Peterson responds to that sort of game. She is bound to get the odd free point from Giorgi - who often runs wild with her shots, but it will take a spirited performance from the Swede to actually turn this one around.
Prediction: Camila Giorgi to win in three sets
