Lauren Davis

Lauren Davis (born October 9, 1993) is an American former professional tennis player. Known for her aggressive backhand, speed, and clay-court strength, she has won two singles titles on the WTA Tour and reached a career-high singles ranking of world No. 26, in May 2017. She has also won eight singles titles on the ITF Women's Circuit.

Davis was born on 9 October 1993 in Gates Mills, Ohio. She began playing tennis at age nine. Upon turning 16, she left her hometown for training at the Evert Tennis Academy. Davis' parents both work in the medical profession. Her mother is a nurse and still resides in Gates Mills, and her father, William Davis, a well known author of "Wheat Belly", is a cardiologist working in Wisconsin.

Davis reached a career-high ranking of No. 3 as a junior. She made her debut on the ITF Junior Circuit in September 2008 at the age of 14, via wildcard at the 2008 US Open, losing to Ajla Tomljanović.

She started 2009 season with a third-round appearance at the Grade-1 tournament in Carson, California, after which she won her first singles junior tournament, a Grade-3 International Grass Court Championships in Philadelphia, when she defeated Brooke Bolender in three sets. By the end of the 2009, she made a quarterfinal appearance at the US Open, won a Grade-1 Yucatán World Cup in Mérida on the hardcourt and made a third-round loss at the Orange Bowl.

In 2010, Davis reached one quarterfinal in the first four months, before reaching the final of the Easter Bowl, losing to Krista Hardebeck. She again lost a final, this time in the 51st Trofeo Bonfiglio to Beatrice Capra. In November 2010, she went on an 18-match winning streak, winning the Grade-1 tournaments Yucatán World Cup and the Eddie Herr youth tournament, as well as the Grade-A Orange Bowl event.^{[citation needed]}

While still a junior, Davis won her first professional title on clay at a USTA tournament in Williamsburg, Virginia in 2010. She then went on a 27-match win streak, and won her second pro title in Puerto Rico. She ended her junior career with a third-round appearance at the 2011 Australian Open.^{[citation needed]}

Davis was awarded a wildcard into the Australian Open, where she lost her first Grand Slam appearance against fifth-seeded Samantha Stosur in the first round. She officially turned professional in 2011 and won her first WTA Tour match in the Miami Open qualifying by beating Jill Craybas, in three sets.^{[citation needed]} She then lost to Anastasiya Yakimova.^{[citation needed]}

In the qualifying for the Charleston Open, Davis lost to Stéphanie Foretz. While waiting to give a post-match interview in a corporate booth, she was knocked unconscious when lighting equipment fell on her head. She suffered a concussion that kept her out of competition for months and left her suffering from occasional migraines for several months after that.