Westmount’s Eugenie Bouchard didn’t look too crushed after her loss to world number one Serena Williams Wednesday, as she tweeted a photo of herself laughing while strapped into a roller-coaster after the hard-fought match.
Bouchard had never faced a number one opponent prior to digging in against Williams but managed a feat that many more experienced veterans have been unable to pull off, snatching the first set 6-4.
The wheels soon fell off for Bouchard as she eventually succumbed to the power of the hard-hitting American, losing the last two sets 6-2, 6-2.
Williams committed 37 unforced errors in windy conditions against Bouchard, 21 on her forehand.
“It was just really different conditions than Toronto,” said Williams after the match, “and I always forget that it’s so different here. So it took me a while to get used to it."
Bouchard, who is currently ranked 62 in the world, hopes to see her ranking get a nudge upwards in the next WTA list when it comes out Monday.
The Cincinnati tournament is seen as a warm-up for the U.S. Open, which begins August 26.
The match-ups will be announced on Thursday August 22, and Bouchard might do better if she can avoid a top opponent in the early rounds, a problem which stalled her recently in Toronto and now Cincinnati.
In other Canadian results Wednesday, 10th-ranked Milos Ranoic advanced to the third round with a 6-4, 7-6 (4) victory over Janko Tipsarevic.
Fellow Canadian Vasek Pospisil, ranked 40, could not convert on four match points and lost to David Goffin in the second round: 7-5, 1-6, 7-6 (6).
