Eugenie Bouchard advanced to the second round of qualifying of the Nature Valley Classic in Birmingham as she defeated the promising young American, Caroline Dolehide, in a straight sets affair.
Dolehide was giving away a lot of experience in their first-ever meeting at any level, but Bouchard is still trying to find her game, find her form, and build meaningful results after a bout with injury that forced her to retire in the opening round of qualifying at Roland Garros.
This was actually the first match that the former Canadian No. 1 had completed for nearly two months, so she will not only be pleased to have passed the physical test, but also to fly through with very sound tennis in the key stages of the match.
It was Dolehide who made the first bit of progress on the return as she carved out three opportunities to break during a three-deuce game, but the Canadian managed to find powerful first serves to scupper away the chances of the American to break.
Dolehide was dangerous on a lot of the returns, often taking huge cuts on the first and second serve. Dolehide rarely gave Bouchard the chance to build any rhythm in the rally, so it was as much of a mental battle as a physical one for the World No. 194.
Bouchard grabbed the first break in the eighth game, but could not hold her level long enough to get over the line and take the first set as Dolehide broke back immediately. The Canadian fought very well for the most part, her competitive levels were high for a lot of the match as she tried to focus her mind on building up the match wins she desperately needs. If Bouchard wants to become a regular figure in Grand Slam main draws once again, she will need to start producing better quality tennis and this week will provide a great insight into the level of the Canadian.
The last two games of the set were mostly positive from Bouchard, who had her moments of difficulty in dealing with the pace of Dolehide’s backhand slice, but continued to build the points the best that she could. The American cracked when serving to stay in the set as a desperate attempt at a drive volley went way past the baseline and gave the former Wimbledon champion the first set at 7-5.
The second set began with three comfortable games on serve, before Bouchard stepped up her game to take the first break of the set. The break of serve came from the damage done with her forehand on the run, which served her well in periods of this match. Dolehide broke back straight away to plant that seed of doubt in the much more experienced Bouchard’s mind, but the Canadian played even better when it came to the pressure points at the critical stages of the 2nd set, just like she did in the 1st.
Dolehide created plenty of openings for herself with the height and flight she gets on her forehand, which enables her to push her opponent out of the picture. This is something that can be used effectively against someone like Bouchard, who hugs the baseline and thrives on pace of her opponent’s ball. However, the last game of the match was one to forget for the American.
The 19-year-old struggled to deal with the understandable tension on serving to stay in the match as she put together some promising points, but the conviction in the forecourt was miles from where it needed to be. Three routine volleys and a gaping miss from a floating drive volley was all it took for the Canadian to pick up her first win of the week in Birmingham and move ever-closer to the main draw – which is where she feels she belongs.
In summary, Bouchard performed well and will be pleased with getting her first win since Fed Cup in April. She will face tougher challenges, but taking care of the opponent’s she should beat is a starting-point that she will be completely satisfied with. Miles away from a Wimbledon final but every dream story has to start somewhere.
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