Bouchard, Sharapova advance to showdown in quarterfinals
MELBOURNE, Australia — Apparently in cruise control, Eugenie Bouchard stalled out on the road to a routine victory.
Bouchard, the No. 7 seed at the Australian Open, had won nine of the first 10 games Sunday to take a 6-1, 3-0 lead over Irina-Camelia Begu in their fourth-round match at Rod Laver Arena.
One bookmaker offering live betting on the match moved Begu’s odds of a victory to 101-1.
Out of nowhere, Begu won the next five games, and she took the second set 7-5.
Bouchard, a Canadian, regrouped in the third set for a 6-1, 5-7, 6-2 victory, but she brimmed with dissatisfaction after the win.
“It’s disappointing for me because I want to play so well, and I want to be perfect,” she said. “That’s not possible; it happens.
“Yeah, I think I started being a bit less aggressive, a bit too passive, and that’s not my game at all. I don’t do well when that happens. Learning curve
“She could string together a few good points here and there, hit some good shots and serves, and got some confidence in the second set. You know, that helped her. So, definitely disappointing.
“But I learned a lot from it, and I’ll try to make sure it doesn’t happen next time.”
The next time for Bouchard will be in the quarterfinals against second-seeded Maria Sharapova, who dismissed Peng Shuai 6-3, 6-0 in the match that followed Bouchard’s.
“I feel like something or someone gave me another chance,” Sharapova said. “Last year I lost in the fourth round here; getting to the quarters is really special.”
But after three straightsets wins, Bouchard said jokingly that she went three sets on purpose.
“Clearly I need more practice!” she said, then turned to the section of fans known as the Genie Army who support her. “It’s not horrible playing longer on this court. I just wanted to do that for you guys, and for them to practice more songs.”
On the men’s side in the fourth round, third seed Rafael Nadal beat 14th seed Kevin Anderson 7-5, 6-1 6-4. Also, seventh seed Tomas Berdych defeated Bernard Tomic 6-2, 7-6 (3), 6-2
Sharapova and Bouchard met most recently in the semifinals of the French Open, where Sharapova came back for a 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 victory before winning her second title there.
“I think I’ve progressed a lot since then,” Bouchard said. “I definitely want to keep playing my game no matter what, really kind of take it to her, go for my shots.
“That’s what I want to do on the court. And it’s more fun when I play that way, too.”
Although the tournament is moving into its second week, Bouchard believed she could find time to improve her game before the next round. Time to ‘cram’
“I believe in cramming,” she said, smiling. “Tomorrow — it’s great with Slams that we have a day off, and it just gives you some more time if you want to work on a few things here and there.”
After defeating Peng, Sharapova praised Bouchard, the only woman to reach three major semifinals last year.
“Last year, I think she had the most consistency in all the Grand Slams,” Sharapova said.
Ekaterina Makarova, the No. 10 seed, moved into the quarters with a 6-3, 6-2 dismissal of Julia Goerges. The Associated Press con
tributed to this report.