Genie Bouchard was practically flawless in her first US Open qualifying match on Tuesday.
Bouchard defeated fellow Canadian Carol Zhao, 6-0 6-1, in straight sets to inch closer to a spot in the main draw. The 24-year-old, who advanced to the VanOpen's quarterfinal last week, is in a different position compared to a year ago.
Last year, she received entry based off her top 100 ranking. Bouchard, however, didn't receive a wild card and her current No.123 didn't suffice an automatic entry in 2018, meaning she is forced to compete through a stretch of qualifying matches.
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While Zhao and Bouchard never faced each other beforehand, the latter dominated throughout the 56-minute match.
Despite fighting off multiple break point opportunities, Zhao relinquished the first game to Bouchard. The Westmount, Quebec native, on the other hand, never looked back as she maintained her strong service game throughout the first set.
Bouchard surrendered five points throughout the set on her serve. She closed out the set after taking a 40-15 lead in the sixth and decisive game.
🇨🇦 @geniebouchard gets the early break against 🇨🇦 @CarolZhao95 in front of a good crowd on court 11 #USOpen pic.twitter.com/im57HHbDcd
— Mark Roe (@MarkRoeTv) August 21, 2018
The 23-year-old struggled to take advantage Bouchard's serve in the second set. While Zhao was able to steal her first game against Bouchard, she failed to win a single return point in the set. Bouchard converted on each of her 12 service points to cap off the lopsided effort.
Bouchard awaits the winner between the United States' Catherine McNally and Georgia's Ekaterine Gordogze. Fellow Canadian's Francoise Abanda and Bianca Andreescu are in qualifying action as well.