Bouchard eases past Kudermetova in Prague

PRAGUE, Czech Republic – Wildcard Eugenie Bouchard was in impressive form as she dispatched No.8 seed Veronika Kudermetova at the Prague Open in 76 minutes.

The WTA World No.330 had come into the tournament winless on clay since Gstaad 2018 but reprised the straight-sets victory she had over her Russian opponent on that occasion in the Czech Republic.

Little over half an hour was required for the 26-year-old to seal the opening set without the loss of a game, and though that perfect record was lost at the beginning of the second, she had no problems progressing to the second round, where Katerina Siniakova or Tamara Zidansek waits.

"I feel that the first set was tough in almost every game. It’s not like it was a walk in the park," she said. "I’m proud of myself for battling in every single game. It ended up going my way most of the time. I stayed on it every point and didn't make too many loose errors. I played solid and aggressive, which is what I try to aim for.

"My rhythm was off on my serve in the first set, so I need to look at that. I felt better with it in the second set, so I'm happy I could find a solution."

It was a strong return after the coronavirus suspension, with Bouchard, who hit 13 winners to only 10 unforced errors, confessing that she was unsure what she might bring to court after a long absence from competitive tennis.

"It’s hard to know what to expect. I haven’t played a real match since January. I’ve played a couple of exhibitions, which helped a lot, but it’s still different, it’s not a real tournament. I didn’t set any expectations," she said.

"I’m grateful to have a job and to have this opportunity. You appreciate things more when they’re taken away from you."

In steamy conditions, she made an inauspicious start to the match as a couple of unforced errors saw her fall 0-30 down. In a pattern that was to repeat itself throughout the opening set, though, the Canadian successfully fended off the danger.

Indeed, the former World No.5 would face break points in each of her service games in the opener, yet aided by some loose play at clutch moments from Kudermetova, all were dismissed.

Conversely, Bouchard was able to make regular inroads into the serve of her opponent. Although Kudermetova missed only four first serves in the first frame, she was only able to win a meagre five points on her own delivery, with the set finally escaping her as she was broken to love off the back of a double fault.

The second set proved to be more competitive, though Kudermetova was again left to rue her lack of accuracy at key times when she fought back from 40-15 down on her opponent’s serve and had another opportunity to break.

The 23-year-old finally got on the board by holding in the subsequent game, but after Bouchard enjoyed her first service game without a break point to face, the match’s familiar pattern was restored as Kudermetova failed to find the court with two makeable shots, resulting in a break.

It proved to be the decisive moment of the match as Bouchard started to look at ease on serve, delivering here first three aces of the match as she raced to a 5-2 advantage.

Another ace followed as Prague debutante Bouchard sealed the match by holding to 15, firing a forehand winner into the open court as a fitting conclusion to a convincing performance.