Eugenie Bouchard continued her strong start to 2016 with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Aleksandra Krunic, which sends the Canadian into a second round blockbuster with fourth seed Agnieszka Radwanska.

Bouchard Starts Slow, Finishes First Set Strong

The former Australian Open semifinalist started with a hold, but not without difficulty, holding at 30 to take the early lead. Krunic, ranked 119 in the world, held at love and Bouchard responded in kind for a 2-1 lead. The Serb, who reached the 2014 U.S. Open round of 16 as a qualifier, trailed 15-30 in her serve before rallying to hold.

Bouchard then dumped her serve at love giving Krunic the first true lead of the match at 3-2. Bouchard recovered right away, winning eight of the next ten points, breaking Krunic's serve at 15 followed by a hold to the same score for a 4-3 lead. Krunic was struggling and Bouchard quickly seized on her next chance to break for a 5-3 lead. After winning 13 of the last 15 points, the Canadian needed two chances to close out the set on her serve, capturing the opening frame 6-3.

Krunic Keeps It Close, but Bouchard Finishes It Off

Krunic reverted back to her early first set form, holding at 15 to open the second set. Again, the Serb challenged Bouchard's serve, but wasn't able to get to break point and the score was now one-all. The turning point that would prove to be decisive came in the next game, an 11-point marathon that saw Bouchard take the vital break on her third chance of the game to go out in front 2-1. A routine hold to love by Bouchard followed by a hold to 15 by Krunic brought the score to 3-2, the Canadian still holding a break advantage.

Bouchard's strong serving continued holding at 15 for a 4-2 lead. She nearly put a hammer lock on the match on the next game, nearly breaking Krunic, getting to deuce before the Serb hung on to stay in the set 4-3 now Bouchard's advantage. Again, Bouchard held with no troubles, closing in on the win at 5-3 after a love game. Once again, the Canadian got to deuce but was unable to secure a second break and Krunic stayed alive to cut the lead to 5-4. The failure to secure the second break nearly cost Bouchard as she fell behind 0-30 serving for the match, but rallied to win the final four points and the set 6-4 to take the match.

Daunting Task Ahead

Bouchard will next face Agnieszka Radwanska, winner of the title in Singapore to cap 2015 and Shenzhen to open 2016. The Pole is on fire and seeded 4th here.

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John Lupo
I am a writer and photographer. I have two Instagrams: @lupojohn1 is my personal account while @dslr_transit_photos is my photography account as I do transit photography in my hometown of New York City.