By Chris Oddo | Thursday, January 22, 2015

 

Eugenie Bouchard calmly beat back Caroline Garcia's best efforts in a tense first set, then raced to victory on Day 5.

Photo Source: Corleve

After a back-and-forth set in which each player scratched and clawed for the upper hand, Eugenie Bouchard took control of her third round match with France’s Caroline Garcia to win running away, 7-5, 6-0.

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World No. 36 Garcia, thought to be on the way to a much higher ranking in 2015, had chances to open up a 4-2 lead on Bouchard in the sixth game of the opener, but after nine deuces and much hand wringing, it was Bouchard who came away with the break.

The pair would trade breaks again in the next two games, but eventually, the calmer, more methodical Bouchard took control to swipe the final two games of the set.

In the second set, perhaps sensing the frailty of the moment from Garcia’s perspective, Bouchard put her foot on the accelerator and ran off with the contest, breaking on three of four chances and patiently letting the Frenchwoman over exert herself in a vain attempt to impose herself on the course of the match.

The pair were close in winners for the match (Garcia held a 17-14 edge) but Garcia’s inability to keep the ball in the court (38 unforced errors vs. 17 for Bouchard) was ultimately the difference.

After failing to reach the second week of her first three majors, the 20-year-old Canadian has now reached the second week of her last five. She was a semifinalist at last year's Australian Open.

Bouchard will next face Romania’s Irina-Camelia Begu in the round of 16. Begu got past Germany’s Carina Witthoeft, 6-4, 6-4.

Elsewhere on Day 5 in Melbourne, third-seeded Simona Halep dispatched feisty American Bethanie Mattek-Sands, 6-4, 7-5, to set up a round of 16 encounter with Yanina Wickmayer.

China’s Shuai Peng, Germany’s Julia Goerges and Russia’s Ekaterina Makarova also advanced in early action on Day 5.