In her first match of the season, Eugenie Bouchard opened 2016 with a 6-4, 1-6, 7-5 victory over Donna Vekic during the first round of the Shenzhen Open in China. It was Bouchard’s first win and her first completed match since the third round of last year’s U.S. Open.

The match that lasted nearly two hours saw Bouchard, seeded sixth in the tournament, battling it out against the 19-year-old Croatian. This was  their first meeting. It was a hard fought match for Bouchard who was looking to start the year on a positive note after a disappointing 2015 campaign.

Bouchard Outlasts Vekic

During the first set, there was an exchange of breaks, but the Canadian took the set after breaking Vekic for the second time.

In the second set, Vekic was aggressive, attacking Bouchard’s first serve. The Canadian only won 35 percent of her first serves during the set. Vekic broke all of Bouchard’s service games to take the match into a third and deciding set. 

Vekic got the first break during the third to go up 4-2, but Bouchard fought back and got the break back to level the set 4-4. Both players held serve till the 11th game where Bouchard break Vekic. She consolidated the break to close out the match. 

This win is a good indication where the 21-year-old Canadian is health wise. She looked like she’s in good form since suffering a concussion after falling in the locker room at the U.S. Open.

Bouchard hasn’t played a full match since last September. She attempted to play through her injury during the Asian leg of the season but was forced to retire due to recurring concussion symptoms. 

Compared to last year, Bouchard is with a coach to start the season. She is working with Thomas Hogstedt, who coached Maria Sharapova and Li Na in the past. 

The Canadian will face qualifier Nicole Gibbs in the second round.

Meanwhile, Petra Kvitova, the second seed, retired from the tournament due to illness after playing the first set against China's Zheng Saisai.

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