Martina Trevisan holds back Eugenie Bouchard in straight sets at Mutua Madrid Open

Martina Trevisan clenches her fist during the second round match against Eugenie Bouchard at the Mutua Madrid Open. 

Martina Trevisan worked hard in the late stages of the second set to pass through at the Mutua Madrid Open Friday. The Italian stopped Eugenie Bouchard from going to a deciding set, holding serve when it counted to win in straight sets 6-2, 7-5 on court four at La Caja Magica. Capturing six breaks of served assisted the 18th seed, who was flawless on the second serve and outscored the Canadian by 14 points.

The two last met during qualifications of the 2020 Australian Open, with the Italian winning her way into the draw. Bouchard got into her fifth main draw in two years, setting up a match with Dayana Yastremska that lasted three sets. In her first time back to Madrid in six years, the Canadian faced a tough outing but worked out the kinks. Despite being on a 13-match losing streak against top 20 players, the 29-year-old had the notion of previous success in the Spanish capital. The Italian makes her start in Madrid but hopes not suffer another first-round loss, which she has done in five of seven tournaments this season.

Getting the feet running was the first option that kicked into gear for the five-foot-three star, who broke Bouchard quickly in the first. She sped through her service game and brought up breakpoints in the third to take the double and a 3-0 lead. The 18th seed witnessed a challenge from Bouchard in the fourth. Despite the Canadian’s efforts to dig in on deuce, the 28-year-old failed to bring up an AD point, continuing the one-way traffic for her opponent.

Bouchard got on the board in the fifth, defending her service game against the 18th seed to end the shutout. The Canadian cut the Italian’s lead in half, working hard to tie a break to her performance growth on the court. Trevisan had to step it up in the seventh, fighting through four breaks where she put the pressure on Bouchard to go up 5-2.

The 18th seed flew through her serve for the first, reaching three set points. She got into a 13-shot rally with the Canadian, who brought in a lob but later had to slice a winner to stay alive. Trevisan got it locked down on the second attempt, where a long ball from Bouchard closed the set in 43 minutes. The Italian won less than half her shots from the first serve and did better from the second. The return game kept her game in check against Bouchard, who served 81 percent on the first serve but struggled everywhere else.

The second set opened with Trevisan scoring her fourth break of the Canadian, but Bouchard answered with a break back in the following game. She consolidated the break, holding service in the third to lead the way. The 18th seed leveled the score through four, getting back on serve but losing strength in her offense. Bouchard continued to lead the way and make it tough for the 18th seed to keep up through six games.  

The forehand of Trevisan earned breakpoints from Bouchard, who couldn’t break the consistency and lost her fifth service of the match. Gaining the lead back, the Italian jumped up from the bench to serve the eighth. She swung big with the forehand, setting up the winners away from the Canadian, who answered by winning the next four straight. Feeling confident about stopping the 18th seed from going two games up, Bouchard served for a chance to gain the lead back.

Bouchard watched her opponent’s game flatten out, giving her the easy service hold and a shot at forcing the match to a decider. Trevisan forced long returns from Bouchard and kept her back to hold the tenth and move on in the set. The Canadian fought hard in the 11th, but two critical points that fell long of the baseline opened the door for the 18th seed. On the final rally of the game, Trevisan caught Bouchard going the wrong way to take her sixth break.

The Italian served for the match, getting two match points to play in the 12th. The first went long after a long rally with Bouchard, who was hitting the returns well. The second attempt went the same way, sending nerves through Trevisan. With the score at deuce, the 18th seed brought up a third opportunity after lobbing a shot near the net. It was a long ball from Bouchard, who watched it land behind the baseline, ending her quest for the third round in 1 hour and 45 minutes.