Angelique Kerber escaped her demons and finally put away Eugenie Bouchard for the first time in nearly three years. The German took 11 of the last 13 games on Centre Court en route to securing her spot in round of 16 at the Rio Olympic Games. On the other hand, Bouchard continues to fall before the late stages of tournaments, but the Canadian hopeful is still alive in doubles competition.
Kerber pulls off tremendous comeback, wins five consecutive games to close
The German-Canadian matchup had played on four previous occasions with Bouchard having won the previous three. However, Kerber held more confidence going into the match considering her recent run to the Wimbledon final and a pleasant performance in Montreal. The match began on the underdog's serve and she denied her opposition of an early break despite facing a break point. The pair exchanged holds until Bouchard took the initiative and broke for a 3-1 advantage. The Canadian followed her clutch break with a hold to love as she was in control of the match at hand.
Kerber refused to let her Olympic campaign end so soon. The German relentlessly fought back with five straight points to send a message to her confident counterpart. The second seed then broke to 30 before leveling the scoreboard with a hold of her own. The German's firepower did not stop there and she then earned the chance to serve out the opening set as she broke Bouchard for the second time at a crucial moment. After 40 minutes on Centre Court, the world number two wrapped up an impressive first set six games to four in spite of having trailed 1-4.
German sends Bouchard packing with superb performance
Both players looked to start the second set off on the right foot as they both held opportunities to get on the scoreboard first. It was Kerber who continued her run of dominance and she grabbed her sixth consecutive game for a 6-4, 1-0 lead. She consolidated before Bouchard found her rhythm in the set's third game with a routine hold, but the German maintained her break lead in resilient fashion in spite of going down 0-40 in her next service game. It wasn't long before the second seed clinched the insurance break and it seemed as if Bouchard was too far behind to have any chance at catching up.
Kerber settled her nerves quickly and handled the pressure well as she put herself within a game of round three. However, the young Canadian was not going down without a fight and soon found herself in a position to win her second game of the set. Her 40-15 edge slipped which brought up match point for the German. Kerber held three match points in the game before Bouchard escaped to force another sit down. It was too little, too late for the world number 39 and this year's Australian Open champion marched to victory in front of a delighted Centre-Court crowd. Kerber exited Bouchard in straight sets, 6-4, 6-2, thanks to an impressive, steady performance.
Second seed faces Stosur next
Kerber goes head-to-head with Samantha Stosur on Tuesday. The Aussie and the German have spilt their six career meetings with their most recent match dating back to last fall in Hong Kong where Kerber came out on top. Will the German continue her recent form or will Stosur handle her nerves when representing her country?
