Eugenie Bouchard In Semi-Final At Nurnberg Cup
By Jared Book
Montreal native Eugenie Bouchard continued her strong run at the Nurnberg Cup in Germany defeating Kazakh Yaroslava Shvedova in straight sets 7-6 (3), 7-6(6) to move to the semi-final.
Bouchard, ranked 19 in the world and the No. 2 seed in the tournament won the match on Thursday evening in Germany. It is the second time she has beaten Shvedova on clay this season. The two played in Estoril earlier this year.
It was a back-and-forth game that was as close as a two-set victory can be. Both players had breaks at key times that eventually evened out to force the two tie-breaks.
The Canadian will now face off against Italian Karin Knapp. Knapp is ranked 52nd in the world. Bouchard won their only previous meeting in Washington on a hard court in 2012 by straight sets.
Knapp beat Caroline Garcia in three sets after losing a first-set tie break.
This tournament is the final tune up before the French Open. Bouchard is one of two Canadians in the main draw. Blainville native Aleksandra Wozniak is currently through to the second round in qualifying.
Bouchard can move up to No. 17 if she makes it to the final and will be No. 16 if she wins the entire tournament.
The semi-final will take place tomorrow. Bouchard’s match is not before 3:30 p.m. local time, or 9:30 a.m. Eastern.