Veronika
Kudermetova defeated Eugenie Bouchard 6-2, 6-7(4), 6-4 and advances to the
third round at the Guadalajara Open.
Eugenie
Bouchard was seeking her second consecutive win in a WTA 1000 event after a
strong performance against Renata Zarazúa in the first round (6-1, 7-6). The
Canadian received a wild card that granted her access to a WTA 1000 main draw
for the first time since the Madrid Open, where she exited in the second round.
The Russian
world No. 17 arrived with a challenging recent record of 1-4 since the start of
the hardcourt swing. She entered the tournament as the 7th seed and received a
bye in the first round. Kudermetova's mission was to defend the quarterfinals
she reached in 2022, where she lost to Maria Sakkari (1-6, 7-5, 4-6).
From the
outset, Bouchard displayed aggression and had three break points in her favor,
but Kudermetova managed to save them and take an early lead with a break. The
Russian comfortably held her service until 5-2 when she secured her second
break, capitalizing on the second set point to win it 6-2.
Kudermetova
proved strong in crucial points, converting two out of three break points in
her favor, while the former world No. 4 missed four break opportunities.
In the
second set, it was Bouchard who earned the first break, going up 3-1, but
Kudermetova leveled the score at 3-3. The Russian secured a break to lead 5-4
and had the chance to serve for the set, but the Canadian fought back and
seized the second break point to level the score. Everything came down to a
tie-break, where both players had their ups and downs, but the former Wimbledon
finalist prevailed, taking the set 7-6(4).
In the
third set, Kudermetova took an early lead, going up 3-1 thanks to a break in
the third game, and she held her service. The Russian faced a break against
her, but she then won the following game to lead 5-3. Despite Bouchard's
resistance, the world No. 19 ultimately secured a hard-fought match 6-2,
6-7(4), 6-4.
In the
third round, she will face the winner of the match between 10th seed Victoria
Azarenka and world No. 102 Dayana Yastremska, which is scheduled for September
19th.
Cristhián Ávila is a tennis journalist based in Santiago, Chile, and has been part of the TennisUpToDate team since early 2023. He covers the ATP and WTA Tours as well as all four Grand Slams, producing breaking news, match reports, analysis, and regular liveblogs from major tournaments.
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