Bouchard Defeats Venus to Move Into Family Circle Cup Quarters

April 4, 2014 | By Long Island Tennis Magazine Staff
Photo credit: Adam Wolfthal

The sixth-seeded Eugenie Bouchard defeated the 11th-seeded Venus Williams Thursday to advance to the quarterfinals of the 2014 Family Circle Cup in Charleston, S.C., 7-6(6), 2-6, 6-4, in a match lasting over two hours. Bouchard reached her first Premier-level quarterfinal in Charleston in 2013. Venus and Bouchard had met only once before, with Venus taking the match at the 2013 Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, 6-3, 6-7(4), 6-3.

"In the second set she really started going for her shots. I just tried to keep fighting," Bouchard said. "It's always fun for me to play against such a great champion like Venus. She's still playing at such a high level and it was such a battle out there."

Up next for Bouchard is Jelena Jankovic, a 7-5, 6-1 winner over Ajla Tomljanovic. Starting with her Charleston title run in 2007, Jankovic has now advanced to the quarterfinals or better in six of her last seven attempts in Charleston, the lone loss a first round exit in 2012 at the hands of Venus Williams. Jankovic and Bouchard are 1-1 in two career meetings.

"Bouchard has been in form this year," Jankovic said. "She's had some really good results, and it's going to be a tough match. We played here last year—I'll try to play my tennis and have fun out there."

Also advancing on the day to the quarters were Daniela Hantuchova and Jana Cepelova in all-Slovak quarterfinal, as Hantuchova was a 6-2, 6-3 winner over Teliana Pereira, and Cepelova defeating the 13th-seeded Elena Vesnina, 7-6(4), 3-6, 6-3. It will be the first ever meeting between Hantuchova and Cepelova.

The number three seed, Sara Errani, also advanced to the quarters with a 7-6(6), 7-6(5) win over Peng Shuai. Errani next meets Swiss qualifier Belinda Bencic, a 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-1 winner over Elina Svitolina. The 17-year-old Bencic is through to her first WTA quarterfinal appearance.

Also moving on to the quarterfinals is the number 14 seeded Andrea Petkovic, a 6-1, 6-0 winner over the four seed, Sabine Lisicki. Petkovic will meet the ninth-seeded Lucie Safarova in the quarters, a 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 victor over the seventh seed, Samantha Stosur.

 


Long Island Tennis Magazine Staff
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