Bouchard beats Wozniacki, off to Wuhan final
Eugenie Bouchard is off to the final of Wuhan Open after beating Caroline Wozniacki in straight sets 6-2, 6-3 at the WTA Premier-level tournament.
It was the first meeting between the two stars with Canada’s Bouchard seeded sixth and Wozniacki from Denmark holding the eighth spot in the competition. The semifinal was held under hazy, hot (28°C) and humid conditions. Wuhan, a city in central China, marked its WTA tour debut this year.
Bouchard took the first set on serve after winning three break points. The Canadian jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the opener before having a service game broken by Wozniacki. Bouchard quickly muted any threat of losing momentum by breaking her Danish opponent’s serve in the next game before closing out the set 6-2.
Up 2-1 in the second set, Wozniacki received attention from a trainer during the break and had part of her right leg wrapped with athletic tape for support. Looking to get an edge on Bouchard, Wozniacki had two break points in the sixth game, but the Canadian saved them both and hit hard to take the game at 3-3.
In the very next game Bouchard’s continued aggressiveness paid off as she roared ahead on three break points against Wozniacki. The Dane saved two but lost the game on a double fault. Bouchard then held serve and broke Wozniacki again in the last game to take her place in the final of the inaugural Wuhan Open.
Awaiting Bouchard in Wuhan is the woman who beat her at the Wimbledon final this year, Petra Kvitova. The Czech Republic star ousted Elina Svitolina 6-3, 7-5 in the first semifinal on Friday.
Canadian fans will have to wake up fairly early (or not go to sleep at all) to catch Saturday’s final. Bouchard v. Kvitova will take place at 3 a.m. ET from Wuhan.
