American Vandeweghe Hangs On To Beat Bouchard
Coco Vandeweghe moved into the fourth round of the Australian Open for the first time in her career, outlasting former semifinalist Eugenie Bouchard 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 on Friday.
“It was kind of expected, in my mind, to get the win and to get the victory and to move a step closer to achieving what I want to achieve for this year and also this tournament,” said a pumped-up Vandeweghe after the match. “For me, if you go out on the court already thinking you’re going to lose, you have already lost.”
Vandeweghe would record the only break point of the opening set to build a 4-3 lead and went on to serve out the set. But the Canadian responded in the second set, breaking for a 2-0 lead and would go on to save the only two break points she faced in the set to force a deciding third.
Bouchard looked to be on her way to a comeback victory, breaking to open up the final set and building a 4-2 advantage. But a focused and determined Vandeweghe won five of the next six games to complete her own comeback and power into a fourth-round matchup with defending champion Angelique Kerber.
Kerber looked impressive in a 6-0, 6-4 drubbing of Kristyna Pliskova, converting on five of six break points to advance in just 55 minutes.
“I was feeling very good from the first point,” said Kerber. “Matches like this are always tough to play when your opponent is serving very well, and you have to bring a lot of balls back, move well, and just go for it.
But I’m happy about my performance.”
Kerber is 2-0 all-time against Vandeweghe.
“I think it will be maybe a little bit similar than today. Coco is a tough opponent,” Kerber said of her next match. “She played good today. I saw a little bit of her match before mine. I know that she’s serving good as well. I have to move good, be ready to bring a lot of balls back, but also be aggressive, as well, like I can play.”
Venus Williams needed less than an hour to blow past Ying-Ying Duan 6-1, 6-0 on Friday, saving the only break point she faced and ripping 25 winners.
Up next for Venus is Germany’s Mona Barthel, who ended the run of Australia’s Ashleigh Barty with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 win.
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova held off 11th seed Elina Svitolina 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 to reach the Melbourne fourth round for the first time in her career. She will take on her compatriot Svetlana Kuznetsova for a spot in the quarterfinals.
The eighth-seeded Kuznetsova hung on to beat former semifinalist Jelena Jankovic 6-4, 5-7, 9-7 on Friday.
Last year’s French Open champion and seventh-seed Garbine Muguruza rolled past 32nd seed Latvian Anastasia Sevastova 6-4, 6-2, setting up a fourth round clash with Romania’s Sonia Cirstea, who ousted American Alison Riske 6-2, 7-6(2).
