Eugenie Bouchard wins big in three sets at Abierto Zapopan

Eugenie Bouchard waves to the crowd after her first-round match at the Abierto Zapapos in Guadalajara, Mexico. 

Eugenie Bouchard came through with control playing a major factor at the Abierto Zapopan Tuesday night. The Canadian had a mess of errors alongside Caroline Dolehide, who couldn’t keep her game together in three sets 3-6, 6-1, 6-3 on Cancha Central at the Panamerican Tennis Center. It was Bouchard’s first WTA victory since September 30th at the French Open last year. 

The two faced off for the first time, making it another first-round fight for her. She drew Aliaksandra Sasnovich in Lyon last week and despite her efforts late in the match, Bouchard went down swinging. The American won both her qualifying matches to be in the main draw for the first time. With the 22-year-old being pitted against the Canadian, she could expect a fight on her hands to make the next round. 

Dolehide opened up a 40-0 score to open the match, but watched Bouchard fire back a winner on game point. Though she prevented the shutout, she couldn’t stop the hold of serve from occurring. Bouchard drew errors from the American to hold in the second. She then went after Dolehide in the third, trying to score an early break. They went to deuce where it only took the American one try to get it done on a long return from the 27-year-old. 

Bouchard ran into more trouble, double-faulting twice in the fourth that gave Dolehide the break and a 3-1 lead. The 22-year-old suddenly hiccupped on serve, with three double faults of her own, getting Bouchard back within reach. She evened things up in the sixth, pressing Dolehide to falter on the returns. She then added another pair of double faults totaling five in her last six service points. 

Despite the problems, Bouchard erred enough to give her the win and the lead back after seven. She earned a break to love as the Canadian struggled to get a clean service in play. Dolehide served for the set in the ninth, earning set points from Bouchard, who committed errors that could have been prevented. The American went for a big serve down the middle that gave the set victory in 30 minutes. 

Bouchard opened the second, hoping to get off the right foot in the set. She made it difficult for Dolehide to spark into the game and held serve. A break opportunity came for the Canadian in the second, but the 22-year-old fought off the threat to force deuce. They went two breaks where after a save of another breakpoint, Dolehide failed to stop a third that gave Bouchard the break. 

She watched her game come under attack in the third as Dolehide broke back, trying to turn the pace her way. It didn’t work out as she made a critical mistake on the return, giving the Canadian a 3-1 gap. She opened it to three with a serve to love, earning free points from the American. The 22-year-old flopped her service in the sixth, gaining only a point before Bouchard went on the offensive. She easily got to three set points before committing her third double fault. Dolehide gave her the win on an error sending them to a third after 28 minutes. 

With the final set left, Dolehide knew she had to secure service by any means. The first game went her way, but an attempt to break Bouchard didn’t pan out, as the 27-year-old forced deuce and took control of the AD point to hold serve. After dealing with the threat, the Canadian upped her game to break Dolehide down in the third. The American waited for her moment to strike and climbed back into the fourth where she put Bouchard under pressure. With breakpoint looming, the Canadian suffered a double fault that lost her the game. She smashed a ball out of the stadium, earning a warning for ball abuse. 

Dolehide played with her opponent out of sorts, scoring a serve to love for the lead. Bouchard showed some patience in the sixth, waiting for her moments to strike and manage a service hold. Bouchard backed it up with a blunderous serve from Dolehide earning a key break. She quickly returned to service, opening the gap on the American. The 22-year-old fought back to force deuce but failed to achieve a breakpoint. 

With the match closing in for the 27-year-old, Dolehide battled to control her serve until a long ball from Bouchard gave her a shot at holding. A missed forehand brought up deuce for the Canadian, who gained match point on an error. A backhanded winner brought Dolehide back to deuce, but the effort was short-lived as she got to a return too late. The second match point was the winner for Bouchard as a ball into the net from Dolehide ended her tournament in 1 hour and 44 minutes