Marie Bouzkova
stands out at Coleman Vision Tennis Championships
Playing in a tournament that’s one year older than she is, Marie Bouzkova on Thursday continued to piece together one of the more memorable performances ever at the Coleman Vision Tennis Championships.
As the only player still alive from the tournament’s qualifying draw over the weekend, the 18-year-old from the Czech Republic outlasted American Taylor Townsend, the event’s No. 5 seed, 6-2, 3-6, 7-5 in a 2 hour, 42 minute marathon match that drew a standing ovation from fans who flocked to Court No. 2 as buzz of their epic showdown built throughout the morning at Tanoan Country Club.
It was a match that left both players in tears
afterward, clearly for very different reasons.
“It meant a lot to me,” said Bouzkova, who is ranked No. 288 in the world and has now played five matches this week, including the two longest in the tournament. “Not only because it’s my fifth match already, but it’s a $75K tournament and it was such a long match and she’s such a very good player. I think she’s my highest beaten player this year. All that and the atmosphere here just got me a little emotional.”
It’s the farthest Bouzkova has advanced in a $75,000 level tournament.
Bouzkova compared the intense atmosphere in the match to her 2014 U.S. Open junior championship as a 16-year-old. Thursday’s match was one full of fantastic shots down the stretch, neither player making mistakes to give the match away.
After Bouzkova cruised through the first set, the powerful Townsend, ranked No. 142, valiantly battled back to force a third set.
The 20-year-old from Chicago let out a few yells of anger — both at herself and at calls she disagreed with — in the third set, while Bouzkova kept composed throughout, until shouts for her final two points of the match. On her matchclinching point — a strong backhand volley leading to a Townsend return in the net — Townsend grabbed a ball and smashed it in frustration well down the fairway of the par-4 first hole of Tanoan’s Acoma course situated alongside the tennis courts.
“I’d rather not,” Townsend said as she declined a postmatch interview request before walking a couple hundred yards away from the clubhouse. She was seen sitting despondent by herself on a sidewalk, trying to compose herself before a doubles match later in the day. (She and partner Jessica Pegula lost that quarterfinal match).
As for Bouzkova, the question now is whether she can muster the energy to challenge top seed Mandy Minella in today’s singles quarterfinals. Bouzkova has played five matches since Sunday, including the two longest in the tournament (Thursday’s 2:42 win and a 3:01 victory Tuesday over Emina Bektas).
Regardless, Bouzkova realized she’s already done enough to be proud of what she’s accomplished in her first trip to Albuquerque.
“I enjoyed every second of it,” she said. “The match was really good from the beginning. We had good quality from the first points. In the end, the third set, either one could take it . ... Taylor is very talented. I had to fight as much as I can, if not, I wouldn’t win this match.” WATCHING THE CLOCK: Through Thursday, there have been 52 singles matches played at the Coleman Vision. Three finished in under an hour and 12 went longer than two hours.
IN OTHER MATCHES: If not for Bouzkova/Townsend, a case could be made the most exciting match, or at least finish, belonged to Canadian Aleksandra Wozniak, who defeated Paula Cristina Goncalves of Brazil, 6-0, 3-6, 7-5.
... No. 1 seed Mandy Minella and defending champion Michaella Krajicek, the No. 8 seed, both rolled through their matches with relative ease — 6-3, 6-3 for Minella over Barbora Stefkova and 6-2, 6-3 for Krajicek over Renata Zarazua. Krajicek had nine aces in her win, the most for the day.