Express News Service
CHENNAI: The sparsely populated centre court at the SDAT tennis stadium were thankful for the gentle sea breeze cutting across the stadium. Late Summer evenings can be brutal — it’s the default setting on most days — in the city but the humidity was down a notch. Compared to a few days ago when the wind was non-existent and the humidity dialled up to the maximum, Monday was, in relative terms, pleasant.
On the court, though, Eugenie Bouchard wasn’t feeling it. The sweat on her forehead was permanent. It’s why she went through seven towels. The ice-pack was her permanent friend. In the end, though, the struggle was worth it. She beat Joanne Zuger 7-6 (4), 6-2 to advance to the second round of the Chennai Open. Significantly, it’s her first tour-level main draw win since the shoulder injury at last year’s Monterrey Open in March.
After initially opting for conservative treatment following the torn subscapularis (a muscle in the rotator cuff), she went under the knife in June. From June 2021 till August 2022, she was forced to spend her days away from the only thing she has been doing since the age of 5. It tested her patience but she never thought about switching careers. “The break away from tennis really tested my patience,” she said in the post-match press conference. “It was a long process and I have never done those things before. But I never wanted to stop. It’s just the beginning of my comeback and hopefully I will have more years on the Tour.”
Considering she’s just starting to take baby steps in getting back to elite-level tennis, she will not lose any sleep about the level she showed against the 21-year-old Swiss. She lost serve to open proceedings but won the next four on the trot. However, Zuger, world No 167, punched back with a few winners of her own from the baseline. She wiped out the arrears in no time. At 4-4, the 28-year-old, ranked 902 because of the time away from the game, looked wobbly. The conditions were beginning to take a toll. She was broken again, giving Zuger the opportunity to serve for the set. The Swiss even had a set point at 6-5, 40-30. But a weak first serve did not help and Bouchard gave it the treatment it deserved, a down the line backhand winner.
The Canadian opened the tie-break with a winner on the forehand side. She had no trouble in closing out the set 7-4. The second was relatively drama free, with more winners, including a couple of delicious backhand passing shots. She was happy with the way she fought back after that hiccup in the first set. “I tried to stay focused and fought back. It took some time to shake off the rust. I think it will take a while for me to get back to form. Initially, I was disappointed that I wasn’t up there. Still looking for consistency.”
Chennai, she hopes, will go some way in helping her unlock that. “I arrived here a little early for the tournament as I was worried about jet lag. It’s very humid here and I generally sweat a lot. Handling the conditions is the biggest challenge. I train in Florida so I am used to the humidity but India humidity is something else.”
On Wednesday, when she plays for a place in the quarterfinals, Bouchard may again go through seven towels. But that will be a footnote if she advances.
Statement win for Karman
India’s Karman Kaur Thandi, here as a wildcard, beat the eighth-seed Chloe Paquet in a physical three-set battle. Karman, playing in her first main draw 250 level event for the first time since 2018, beat the Frenchwoman 4-6, 6-4, 6-3. She next faces Bouchard. The 24-year-old said this is possibly the biggest win of her career. “Win means a lot,” she said after the match. “First main draw win at the 250 level. Nothing as such (anything new?). Just the will power and the grit to fight. Grateful for my team who supported me every moment (in today’s game).”
What really helped her upset Paquet, who had reached the third qualifying round at the US Open two weeks ago, was her big forehand passing shots. The Delhi girl used it to win a number of crucial points in the last two sets. She burst into the limelight, winning three matches (including two qualifying rounds) at the 250-level Nanchang Open in July 2018. She also won a couple of ITF-level competitions in the same year that propelled her to 196 in the rankings. However, she has had a few downs since then and is now No 359.
Select results: Rebecca Marino bt Anna Blinkova 7-5, 6-2, Eugenie Bouchard bt Joanne Zuger 7-6 (4), 6-2, Karman Kaur Thandi bt Chloe Paquet 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.
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