By Lance Jenkinson
Eugenie Bouchard well and truly arrived on the professional tennis scene at the Australian Open last summer.
A surprise semi final appearance at the Grand Slam of Asia-Pacific backed up her billing as the WTA Newcomer of the Year in 2013.
The Canadian proved she was no one slam wonder, reaching the semi final at the French Open and making it all the way to the final at Wimbledon, where she fell to the more experienced Petra Kvitova.
After a whirlwind 12 months, it’s hard to believe the youngster from Quebec is just 20 year old with the tennis world at her feet.
Bouchard has already won her share of admirers in Melbourne.
The Genie Army, locals decked out in the red and white colours of Canada, were courtside to see her latest victory on Wednesday night – a 6-0 6-3 whitewash of Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands at the new Margaret Court Arena in the second round on Wednesday evening.
Bouchard had a smile on her face before the match as the Army belted out their favourite Bouchard inspired songs.
“It’s really fun,” she said of the attention from the Genie Army.
“I think they brought a lot of energy tonight. It just makes it more fun and I think the rest of the crowd appreciates it as well.
“They kind of laugh and get into it. During the warmup they were also playing the Taylor Swift song Shake It Off. That’s why I was smiling. I almost wanted to sing, but I told myself not to.”
Bertens, her opponent, is just 23 and trying to make her way in the game too.
Seldom would she have been on the same court as one so accomplished at a young age.
Bertens was dismantled mercilessly. Bouchard was just so clinical, whipping her forehand for highlight-worthy winners and proving impenetrable on the double handed backhand.
Bertens was so powerless to stop Bouchard’s attacking strokes that she resorted to kicking tennis balls between points to vent her frustration.
The first set was a blink and you’ll miss affair – over and done with in just 23 minutes. Bertens found it impossible to engage in rallies and her service was letting her down.
She did, however, breathe a bit of life into the match by breaking in the first game of the second set.
Unfortunately, her joy was short lived, Bouchard broke back and leveled at 1-1.
Bouchard reeled off the next four games to take a 5-1 lead, but Bertens would not go away quietly, breaking in the seventh game and holding serve for the first time in the eighth.
Bouchard would finally close out the match in just 54 minutes – akin to a light training run.
A perfectionist, Bouchard was not happy with the way she finished the match, telling the on-court commentator that it was “unacceptable”. She said that she lost focus late on.
Talk about a harsh critic, but you have to be if you want to go deep into a tournament.
Bouchard feels comfortable starting the season down under and not only because of her run to the semi final 12 months ago.
“There’s a lot about Australia I like,” she said. “I love this tournament, I’ve always had great memories from it, even in the juniors when I played juniors here.
“It was the first slam I did well at in the juniors … same thing in the pros. I love the surface of the court, I love the people, I love the fans, I love the hot weather, I like the accent a lot, I mean, I could keep going, but I’ll stop with that.”
Well, Eugenie, it’s a two-way street for Australians. They love the rasping forehand, the exquisite double handed backhand and the fight for every point.
Bouchard faces another young player on the rise in Caroline Garcia, a 21 year old from France, in the third round, and she expects a tough challenge.
“I know it’s going to be super tough,” Bouchard said. “She’s a good up and comer.”
You can bet the Genie Army will grow bigger by the round.
