Bouchard brilliance too much for Konta
HOW unfortunate that Johanna Konta should run into Eugenie Bouchard on the evening the Canadian remembered how good she can be at this game.
How delightful for Bouchard that her resurgence came on the lawn she almost owned two years ago.
It remains a mystery of tennis that its poster girl collapsed so spectacularly after reaching the Wimbledon final in 2014.
That rise to fifth in the rankings at the age of 20 was quite stunning. The fall to No48, where she sits these days via a dip as low as 61, is far more baffling.
But there have been signs of recovery this year and last night, on Centre Court, she brought a storm to Britain’s top-ranked woman and soaked what was looking like a promising script.
It was an exceptional and strange match, dominated first by Bouchard, then by Konta and then, brutally, by Bouchard again. The scores were 6-3, 1-6, 6-1, which in its way was appropriate for players with such topsy-turvy histories.
In the time that Bouchard has climbed and sunk, Konta has suddenly become a shooting star in her mid-twenties.
In a year, since she was bludgeoned off this court by Maria Sharapova in the first round, Konta has surged from 126th to 19th in the rankings, and was 16th seed here, carrying a hefty level of expectation.
Having reached the semi-finals of this year’s Australian Open, she had already broken new ground at SW19 by reaching the second round for the first time in five attempts.
Bouchard was a big obstacle so soon but Konta had been holding her own of late. Last night, she was deflated, searching for the kind of positive thinking she values so highly.
‘A match like this only adds to the desire to get better,’ said Konta.
‘I didn’t think there was a specific turning point. Even in the final set, it was a battle for every point. She was able to string together a few more than myself. She played very well.
‘I have a lot of good things to take away and a lot to implement in my development as a player and person. But I would have liked to continue in the tournament.’
Nice sentiments, but there will be regrets in how she went out.
In one respect, Konta’s serve was not quite there — she gave up 15 break points and Bouchard took four of them — and she might have finished more of her own chances, given the Canadian allowed 10 break points herself. But the prime factor here was Bouchard’s superb play.
Konta’s defeat leaves Tara Moore as the only Brit in the female draw. As for Bouchard, it will be fascinating to see how she progresses from this point onward. She will next face 19th seed Dominila Cibulkova of Slovakia.
Bouchard said: ‘I’ve learned a lot in my short career. There are ups and downs in tennis and life but I feel stronger, mentally. I just need to lay it all out there. It’s Wimbledon.’