At the US Open, former Wimbledon finalist Eugenie Bouchard easily made it through to the second round of Flushing Meadows. But in Chicago and now in Hiroshima it was over again at the beginning.
Bouchard only played seven games in her three qualifying games with the last major of the season recently in New York. And the 24-year-old from Montreal received confirmation at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center that she still lives up to her role as a crowd puller. The stands were full when “Genie” played.
For the former number five in the world, currently ranked 111, it was enough for the second round in the Big Apple. However, the Czech Marketa Vondrousova was the final stop for Bouchard, who fell deeply after her dream season 2014 (final in Wimbledon, semi-finals in Melbourne and Paris).
But the slight upward trend on the big stage in the Big Apple is already over. Bouchard now failed at the WTA tournament in Hiroshima in round one with 4:6, 4:6 to local hero Nao Hibino (Japan), who finished 138th in the WTA ranking.
The week before, the Canadian had already lost 6:7, 4:6 against Kristie Ahn (USA) in the opening match in Chicago. Patience is therefore still in demand in the “Team Genie”.