Scrappy Eugenie Bouchard will take to the court at 1 a.m. Montreal time Saturday to lock horns with 87th ranked Kurumi Nara in a quest to reach the finals in the Japan Open in Osaka.
Bouchard, ranked 35th, defeated the Czech Barbora Zahlavova Strycova 2-6, 6-4,-6-1 in the quarter finals and now stands a good chance to get to the finals after some hard-fought earlier-round losses this year against highly-ranked opponents.
If Bouchard beats the wild-card Nara, she will go on to face either Samantha Stosur or Madison Keys in the finals.
Stosur, 29, is a slam winner from Australia who has played unevenly this year, while Keys, 18, is a promising young American on the rise.
