Agnieszka Radwanska beat Eugenie Bouchard 6-4 6-2 in 1 hour and 23 minutes in a blockbuster second round match to get through to the third round at the Australian Open in Melbourne. Bouchard led 4-2 in the opening set and got a point for 5-3 but Radwanska reeled off six consecutive games to build up a 6-4 2-0 lead en route to her convincing straight-set win.
Radwanska and Bouchard met for a fascinating head-to-head match between two former Australian Open semifinalists and two former Wimbledon finalists.
Radwanska got off to a good start by winning her first title of the year in Shenzhen after finishing the 2015 season with her triumph at the WTA Finals in Singapore. Bouchard reached the quarter finals in Shenzhen and the final in Hobart showing that she is coming back to her best form after a tough 2015 season.
Both players started her Australian Open campaign with straight set wins. Radwanska cruised past Christina McHale 6-2 6-3 in her opening match in Melbourne. Bouchard beat Aleksandra Krunic 6-3 6-4 in just over an hour in the first round.
Radwanska, who reached the semifinal in Melbourne in 2014, won their only head-to-head WTA match in Madrid in 2014 in straight sets with 7-6 6-2.
Bouchard got the first break of the match at deuce in the fifth game of the opening set with her drop-shot to take a 3-2 lead. The young Canadian player held her serve for 4-2 but Radwanska earned two break-back point opportunities in the seventh game. The Pole converted her chance to claw her way back into the set for 3-4. Bouchard earned a break point chance for 5-3 but Radwanska held her service game at deuce to draw level to 4-4 before breaking serve in the ninth game to take the 5-4 lead. Radwanka went up 40-0 when she served for the first set but Bouchard recovered to claw her way back to 40-all forcing the game to deuce (four of the last six games went in the first set went to deuce). Radwanska held her nerve and hit a huge forehand winner on her fifth set point to serve out the first set. Bouchard made 23 costly unforced errors in the first set.
Radwanska went up a set and a break in the first game of the second set with a dipping forehand pass. She reeled off her sixth consecutive game to open up a 2-0 lead. In the third game Bouchard hit her first ace of the match at 40-0 to break the losing streak of six consecutive games for 1-2. Radwanska never looked back and converted her third break point chance of the match to race out to 5-2 before converting her match point at deuce in the next game. Bouchard made a total of 37 unforced errors, including a forehand long on the match point, after wasting three breakpoint chances in that game.
Radwanska will face either Krystina Pliskova or Monica Puig in the third round.
“Of course, that was a great challenge for me to play somebody like Eugenie in the second round. But I think I was doing everything right today. That’s why I win that match in two sets. Definitely it was not an easy draw. I have not played her for a while. I think she is playing better now than in the last season. She is on the good way to come back. I think in a couple of months we are going to see her much deeper in Grand Slams. I was 100 percent prepared for this match but I knew it wasn’t going to be easy. She has had a good start to her year playing a couple of good matches. I knew I would have to play good tennis today. She was hitting the ball very well. I think I was just more consistent today. That’s why I could really come back in that first set. I was serving good. I was focusing on thatThat helped as well”, said Radwanska.
Radwanska has continued her excellent period of form after finishing off her 2015 campaign in great style winning the WTA Finals in Singapore.
“I am happy I am still playing the same tennis I was playing at the end of the year. This is a new season and a new tournament. I think it doesn’t really matter what happened last year. We already start a new season. I am confident about my game and I really feel good on courtIt’s not sure I am going to win the match. I still need to work hard. Nothing is going to come for free.”, said Radwanska.
