Bouchard, Kvitova Upended at Western and Southern Open

For the second time in as many tournaments, Eugenie Bouchard’s run came to an end in the early rounds as she fell to Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 on Wednesday in Cincinnati. Kuznetsova committed 18 less unforced errors than the Canadian Bouchard, who was bounced in the first-round of the Rogers Cup last week.

“It was a little bit up and down but I think we both played great,” said Kuznetsova. “Genie really raised her level in the second and third sets, but I was defending really well, and it was just a really exciting match for me to play out there. It was a great atmosphere.”

While Kuznetsova had just 23 winners to Bouchard’s 28, Bouchard had 46 unforced errors which led to her defeat. The match was just about even through the first two sets, but at 2-all in the third-set, Kuznetsova seized control of the contest.

The 23rd-ranked Russian won the final four games, picking up two breaks, to close out Bouchard. It was the second time this season that Kuznetsova beat her Canadian opponent as she also won at Oeiras earlier this year. It is Bouchard’s second loss in as many matches after she was beaten in the first-round in Montreal by Shelby Rogers.

Kuznetsova moves into the third-round and draws a matchup with ninth-seeded Ana Ivanovic, who rolled past American Christina McHale 6-4, 6-0 in their second-round match Wednesday.

Third-ranked Petra Kvitova fell victim to the upset bug as well on Wednesday, losing to Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina in straight sets.  The Ukrainian teenager notched the first top 10 win of her career, holding off two match points before closing it out in the tiebreaker.

“From the beginning I didn’t feel very comfortable out there,” said a frustrated Kvitova. “I was really trying to fight, but I just wasn’t able to do it today. I’m not sure why. But it happened. I’m just glad I entered New Haven next week, so I still have a chance for more matches under my belt before the U.S. Open.”

Svitolina will meet Carla Suarez-Navarro in the third-round after the Spaniard knocked off France’s Pauline Parmentier on Wednesday.

American’s Serena Williams and Sloane Stephens pushed into the third-round as well. Williams’ needed a tiebreak in each of the two sets to squeak by Australia’s Samantha Stosur, while Stephens cruised past Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova of the Czech Republic 7-5, 6-1.