Kvitova's comeback from knife attack still on track

As Petra Kvitova walked off central court amid a standing ovation following her second-round victory over Varvara Lepchenko of the United States at the China Open on Tuesday, few would have noticed the Czech star subconsciously bending and stretching the fingers of her left hand.

She sustained the injury in December, while fighting off a knife-wielding robber who had broken into her home.

The tendons and nerves in her left hand were badly damaged in the attack and Kvitova's promising career looked to be in jeopardy, but the two-time Wimbledon champion refused to be sidelined for long.