Eugenie Bouchard meets a familiar foe in Camila Giorgi in the first round of the Citi Open. The two met earlier this year, and the winner will meet the winner of Tamira Paszek and Vania King in the second round. The Canadian is seeded fifth while Giorgi is unseeded entering this event.
Head-To-Head
Bouchard has not lost against Giorgi and has not dropped a set either. The Canadian is 2-0 against the Italian and has not lost more than three games in a set against her. They first met in Strasbourg back in 2013 when Bouchard won handily 6-3, 6-0. The former Wimbledon finalist also won handily in their meeting earlier this year in Hobart with the Canadian winning 6-3, 6-2.
Bouchard’s Notable Results This Year
The Canadian had a down year in 2015 but really started to find her game in the first couple of months this year. Bouchard made two finals in the first few months of the season and also outdid her win total in those months.
Bouchard has already notched 24 wins this season, with finals showings in Hobart and Kuala Lumpur. She lost both finals, getting outclassed by Alize Cornet in Hobart and losing in a tight three-setter against Elina Svitolina in Kuala Lumpur. Due to her low ranking, Bouchard has had tough draws in Grand Slams, only making it to the third round in one of the first three Slams, Wimbledon.
Giorgi’s Notable Results This Year
It’s been a tough year for the hard-hitting Italian as she stands 14-15 on the year so far. She has found herself exiting many tournaments in her first couple of rounds but hopes to turn it around in DC. She’s made it to at least the quarterfinals of only three events this year.
The first of those three came in Hobart where she was throttled by Bouchard 3 and 2, but the second one was a much brighter spot for her. Giorgi made the final in Katowice as the five seed. She defeated the likes of Kirsten Flipkens and Jelena Ostapenko to the final before another disappointing showing, losing to Dominika Cibulkova 6-4, 6-0. Her last quarterfinal came in Prague where she lost to Karolina Pliskova.
Analysis
Bouchard owns Giorgi so far and expect to see more of the same in this one. Giorgi can hit much harder than Bouchard but her game is often her downfall as she only utilizes her power and not much else. The overuse of power draws too many unnecessary errors from the Italian which puts her in bad positions.
The Canadian’s consistency is going to be key in this one because getting the ball back into play will put Giorgi at odds with what to do. If Bouchard can just get the ball back in play, she’ll hope to draw an error from the Italian.
However, Bouchard at times can also be inconsistent so it’s key for her to stick to the gameplan. What will work best for the former Wimbledon finalist is her ability to take the ball early. She hugs the baseline when playing which allows her to take the pace that Giorgi brings and either counter it with her own or neutralize it. It would be best for her to neutralize it since Giorgi works best trading pace.
Prediction: Bouchard in straight sets