{"id":1380,"date":"2017-01-20T00:25:38","date_gmt":"2017-01-20T05:25:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordontennis.com\/?p=1380"},"modified":"2021-12-23T20:29:50","modified_gmt":"2021-12-24T01:29:50","slug":"vandeweghe-ousts-bouchard-australia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/2017\/01\/20\/vandeweghe-ousts-bouchard-australia\/","title":{"rendered":"Vandeweghe Ousts Bouchard in Nerve-Racking Fashion"},"content":{"rendered":"

In a battle of former junior Grand Slam titlists, Coco Vandeweghe (2008 Us Open)<\/a> eked out a 6-4 3-6 7-5 victory over Eugenie Bouchard (2012 Wimbledon)<\/a> in a match that stretched over two hours and 21 minutes on Rod Laver Arena.<\/p>\n

Imposing serve makes the difference under the roof<\/h2>\n

The match was played indoor as the tournament organization considered there was a substantial chance of rain at 11 AM local time.<\/p>\n

The world No. 35 fired 11 aces<\/a> and won an extraordinary 85% of the points in which she put her first serve in play.<\/p>\n

In the early going, the player on serve comfortably dominated. They did not reach deuce until the seventh game. An ill-timed Bouchard double fault aided the New York City native to cash in on her first break point opportunity.<\/p>\n

Apart from that outlier, both ladies kept struggling on the returning end of the court. They exchanged three straight holds at love, hence Vandeweghe bagged the first set.<\/p>\n

The start of the second clearly belonged to the 2014 semifinalist. Errors kept piling up for the American, who conceded a break with a double fault. Does that sound familiar? She was unable to dig herself out of that hole.<\/p>\n

Not only did Bouchard secure the second set, but she also raced to a 2-0 lead in the decider thanks to a leadoff break. At this point, Genie was two-for-two in break point chances. Keep this in mind.<\/p>\n

The niece of two-time NBA All Star Ernest Maurice \u2018Kiki\u2019 Vandeweghe ended her slump with another hold at love, the eighth of the tilt.<\/p>\n

Nothing outrageous happened for several games, with Bouchard getting closer to a round of 16 spot. It was the calm before the storm.<\/p>\n

At 4-3 up, the 22-year-old Canadian wasted two game point opportunities, including one with a dreadful double fault.<\/p>\n

Commotion<\/h2>\n

Even after re-watching it, I have no clue about what happened in the ninth game. I will proceed to lay out the facts and let each reader draw her or his own conclusion:<\/p>\n

-The game lasted over 12 minutes.
\n-They reached deuce an astonishing eight times.
\n-Bouchard squandered four break points. From 2\/2 to 2\/6 overall.
\n-There were five unforced errors into the net. That, my friends, is an indicator of lackluster tennis.<\/p>\n

Eventually Vandeweghe, Martina Hingis\u2019 doubles partner<\/a>, pushed forward and held serve.<\/p>\n

After two dull games, Bouchard was serving to remain in contention at 5-6. A 82 mph ace put her up 30-15, right before the implosion. A pair of careless errors gave Vandeweghe a chance to clinch. She sealed the deal with a gigantic backhand down the line winner.<\/p>\n

The American punched her ticket to the fourth round at Melbourne Park, her best non-Wimbledon<\/a> Slam showing.<\/p>\n

Next up: top seed and defending champion Angelique Kerber, who handily beat<\/a> Kristyna Pliskova in straight sets.<\/p>\n

Main Photo:<\/p>\n

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Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n