Quebecer Eugenie Bouchard got her first win in the main draw of a WTA tennis tournament since March 2021, Monday at the Chennai Open, beating Switzerland’s Joanne Zuger in the initial round.
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Owner of 902e world rank, the winner prevailed in two sets of 7-6 (4) and 6-2 against her rival occupying the 167e square. She notably needed five breaks in eight occasions to triumph in 1 h 44 min, even if she conceded her serve three times.
Bouchard hadn’t bagged a main draw win since appearing in the final in Guadalajara, Mexico about 18 months ago. At the recent US Open, she had reached the second round of qualifying.
Recall that Bouchard was forced to be absent from the tennis courts for many months, after going under the knife due to a serious shoulder injury.
At the next stage in India, the player from La Belle Province will face local athlete Karman Thandi. The latter caused some surprise by defeating the eighth seed, the French Chloé Paquet, in three sets of 4-6, 6-4 and 6-3. This will be the first duel between Bouchard and Thandi on the WTA Tour.
Elsewhere, Canadian Rebecca Marino also had a good day, defeating Russian Anna Blinkova 7-5, 6-2. The seventh favorite will do battle with the Polish Katarzyna Kawa, 74th in the world, in the second round.