Aussie Open: Playing a victory for Bouchard
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA — Canadian Eugenie Bouchard admitted her heart was pounding during an Australian Open second-round defeat against fourth seed Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland.
But the 21-year-old from Westmount, Que., took that as a good sign as she lost 6-4, 6-2 Wednesday in what she called “the biggest match I’ve played in awhile against the toughest opponent by far since my comeback from injury.
“It was my toughest test, I did OK,” Bouchard said of the contest lasting just under 90 minutes on the showcase Rod Laver Arena.
The Canadian has been making a 2016 comeback following a concussion she suffered in a fall in the locker room at the U.S. Open last year. She leaves the Grand Slam with wins in seven of her 10 matches so far this season after playing in tournaments in China, Hobart, Tasmania and Melbourne.
Bouchard blamed nerves and bigmatch stress for her elevated heartbeat during a contest in which she finished with 25 winners and 37 unforced errors, breaking only once from seven chances.
“I noticed the heart rate was up the highest it’s ever been in a match. I felt OK, but I was feeling how hard it was physically. Aga doesn’t give you any points for free so I had to work for every one,” she said after the match.
“I don’t have any concussion symptoms, if so I would not be able to play. So far so good — that’s the most important thing. I’ve been able to play three weeks in a row over here. That’s a victory for me, no matter what the my results are.”
Bouchard began well, securing a 4-2 first-set lead with a break of serve on a winning drop shot. But the Canadian was unable to consolidate as her opponent broke back a game later from a double fault and went on to win the last four games of the set.