Eugenie Bouchard’s comeback continues down under. After a disappointing 2015 season ended with a concussion at the US Open, the twenty-one year-old Canadian has been red hot to start the season and she has ridden the momentum into the final of the Hobart International, winning a wild affair with third seed Dominika Cibulkova 6-1, 4-6, 6-4. Bouchard will contest her fifth career final (1-3 record), and her first since September 2014 in Wuhan.
Bouchard Races Through Opening Set
It took no time for Genie Bouchard to grab the early lead. With an impressive display of attacking tennis, Bouchard rushed to a 5-0 lead, breaking Cibulkova twice, before eventually claiming the set 6-1. Bouchard was nearly flawless in the opening set, dominating her own serve while crushing her return. She dominated the rallies and turned offence into defence with ease. She was helped by some poor returning by the former Australian Open finalist, who seemed at times unable to put a return into the court.
Cibulkova Wins Returners Battle In Set Two
Bouchard seemed well on her way to an easy victory when she saved two game points before breaking Cibulkova with a cross-court forehand winner to seal the break in the first game of the set. But that is when the craziness started. When the dust settled, there had been eight consecutive breaks of serve. Unforced errors and double faults were everywhere in the sloppy set from both women.
After Bouchard missed multiple chances to consolidate her lead, it was Cibulkova who grabbed the decisive hold for a 5-4 lead. She brought up a set point on Bouchard’s serve in the following game, which she won when the Canadian fired a backhand wide. Bouchard’s level slipped considerably in the second set, as her serve lost the pop it had had it the opener. Cibulkova played much better, improving her return and dominating the rallies.
Bouchard Hangs On to Reach Final
After Cibulkova opened with a hold, Bouchard was under pressure to defend her serve for the first time since the opening set. She managed it at long last, and continued to do so despite some shaky shots. Cibulkova continued to be the aggressor, but her return had dipped again and Bouchard was re-finding her confidence in her groundstrokes. At 3-3, Bouchard managed to bring up the first break point of the set. She converted when Cibulkova’s backhand was called wide. Cibulkova was not happy with the call, as she immediately ran to the umpire’s chair to argue, but it was to no avail.
The women exchanged holds and Bouchard found herself serving for the match at 5-4. Cibulkova rushed out to a 0-30 lead, but Bouchard roared back and brought up match point with an ace. But Cibulkova saved it by crushing a forehand return down the line. At deuce, Bouchard crushed a forehand winner inside out to bring up a second match point. This time, she was not to be denied and she finished off the match with a crosscourt forehand winner to reach her first final of the season.
By The Numbers
Bouchard fired six aces past Cibulkova, four of them coming in the first set. She also converted seven of her eleven break point opportunities. It was not a great serving day for either woman, but Bouchard managed to win sixty-two percent of her second serve return points. In the opening set, when Bouchard was playing some of the best tennis she has ever played, she won all of Cibulkova’s second serve points and limited her Slovakian opponent to only six service points total.
Bouchard will face either seventh seed Alize Cornet or Johanna Larsson in the final.