Eugenie Bouchard has refused to be disheartened following her error-stricken performance against Angelique Kerber in the second round of the Olympic Games.
The world No.40 was no match for world No.2 Kerber as she crashed out 6-4, 6-2, at the Olympic Tennis Centre. Starting the match strongly with a 3-1 lead, Bouchard quickly lost her stronghold as she produced a costly 36 unforced errors. The result is a disappointment one for Bouchard, who defeated Kerber earlier this year at the Rome Open. Nevertheless, she was full of praise when speaking about her German opponent.
“Kerber was solid today.” Bouchard said after the match.
“When I tried to attack, she was able to get the ball back in places that was tough to get to.
“She was like a wall.”
Regardless of her Rio exit, the 22-year-old Canadian believes that she is returning to the form which took her to the final at the 2014 Wimbledon Championships.
“I don’t think i’m that far away from her,” Bouchard said about her current level of play compared to Kerber.
“Sometimes it’s the little details that make the difference between the top players and the rest of the field.”
As a result of her conquest over Bouchard, Kerber will play Australia’s Sam Stosur in the third round. Stosur booked her place after defeating Japan’s Misaki Doi 6-4, 6-4.
Johanna Konta progresses
Great Britain’s Johanna Konta made light work of Caroline Garcia in her second round match. The tenth seed required 93 minutes to dismiss the Frenchwoman 6-2, 6-3.
“I think I dealt with the conditions as well as I could. I’m fighting every point, and running it hard. The best way to deal with the scheduling demands is to just roll with the punches.” The Australian Open semifinalist told BBC Sport.
“It’s an Olympic Games, not a normal tour. The scheduling will be tricky. I just try to enjoy it for what it is.”
In the last sixteen the world No.13 will play Svetlana Kuznetsova, who received a second round bye after her opponent, Monica Niculescu, withdrew due to a lower back injury. The upcoming match will be the first meeting between the two players.
Elsewhere in the women’s draw, Canadian Open runner-up Madison Keys outlasted France’s Kristina Mladenovic 7-5, 6-7(4), 7-6(5), in what was one of the longest women’s tennis matches in Olympic history. The American trailed 3-5 in the final tiebreaker before coming back to seal the win after three hours and 16 minutes of play. Keys will next play Carla Suarez Navarro, who eased her way past Crotia’s Ana Konjuh 7-6(5), 6-3.
Finally, Garbine Muguruza booked a third round showdown against Monica Puig after producing an impressive 6-1, 6-1, win over Japan’s Nao Hibino.
