The two met for the first time in their careers and at a point where both needed a starting point to make a push for success. Bouchard gave it her best shot during qualifications at the Australian Open but was cut midway from making the main draw. Since then, the Canadian has put in a lot of practice to prepare for Lyon as a wild card. After a short Australian Open, Sasnovich stuck around for the Phillip Island tournament but didn’t get further than the second round. With another shot back in Europe, the Belorussian looked to best Bouchard while she could and move forward.
She earned an easy break to open the set as Bouchard couldn’t control the errors committed. Sasnovich went into her stride, holding the 27-year-old back to consolidate. She then pushed into the third, fighting back the Canadian to gain a breakpoint and a 3-0 lead. With the double break in hand, the Belorussian took a 4-0 lead, keeping back Bouchard, who was trying to get any win under her belt.
Despite the large deficit, the 27-year-old almost had a serve to love going but was forced to reach for a low lob and lost out with Sasnovich saving breakpoint. She saved another but an error gave Bouchard a break, taking the fifth on serve. Sasnovich rushed through another service game to be in reach of taking the set, but Bouchard was still alive in it. She limited the errors on the court, getting through her service game to extend the match against the Belorussian.
A big break for Bouchard came in the eighth when Sasnovich erred on serve opening the door for the Canadian to take control. Sasnovich tried to save points but it was too late as Bouchard took a third game. The 27-year-old absorbed the pace of the rallies in the ninth, hitting big in return. She finished it with an ace, sitting a game down of pushing the set deep. She had another break to love chance in the tenth with Sasnovich erring at the wrong time. With no sign of recovering, the 26-year-old had blown the gap and was fighting to stop Bouchard’s momentum.
She jumped to a break to love opportunity in the 11th, but erred at the wrong time, letting Bouchard back into her service game. Despite lost chances, she gained the AD point and broke back. When it came time for her to put it away, Sasnovich instead committed two double faults that put her in real trouble. Bouchard fed off her opponent’s mistakes and let one point go before she committed herself and the Belorussian to a tiebreak.
It was a tug of war with minibreaks coming through the opening nine points. Sasnovich gained set point but failed to put it to rest. Bouchard then had one for herself but made a mistake that made it seven-all. It was then that the 26-year-old had the moment to strike it done on a second set point, breaking Bouchard to complete a long drawn-out set that took 57 minutes. Sasnovich made a total of six double faults with a dwindling second serve winning less than a third of shots from it.
Knowing that she got herself out of trouble after a huge slip-up, it meant that every game with Bouchard was a battle. The Canadian made that clear in the first, breaking Sasnovich after a break on deuce. She Belorussian broke back, scoring in the second on a sliced winner. The struggles continued with her first serve, handing Bouchard free points in the third. Sasnovich fought back to force deuce, ending the game with a hold of serve.
The players continued to play every point with Bouchard trying to hold off the Belorussian in the fourth. They were once again at deuce with Sasnovich getting the last laugh on a break back. The 26-year-old was not done fighting off Bouchard, who pressured in the fifth to force deuce. Sasnovich handled the situation to hold serve and was intent on putting the brakes on her opponent.
Bouchard trailed on serve in the sixth but well-placed winners got her to deuce. A mistake from Sasnovich on the second break opened the door for the Canadian to contain service. For the first time in the set, Sasnovich managed to hold off Bouchard, allowing her a single point before she herself lost on a crosscourt that landed long and into the tramlines.
Bouchard served, hoping to extend the second set, but on game point double-faulted to bring the Belorussian to deuce. It was that key point that soon had Sasnovich with match point on a long return. A short rally saw the Canadian hit it into the net ending a 1 hour and 40 minute fight.
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