By Erik Gudris | Friday, April 4th, 2014

 

Canada's Eugenie Bouchard continued her stellar start to the season by taking out yet another former Family Circle Cup champion in Charleston.

Photo Credit: Christopher Levy

Eugenie Bouchard reached yet another semifinal this season as she advanced at the Family Circle Cup in Charleston by taking out yet another former event winner this week.

Facing No. 2 seed Jelena Jankovic in their quarterfinal, Bouchard needed some time to settle into her own game due to the windy conditions. After trading several breaks, Bouchard stepped up to take control. Bouchard ripped back-to-back winners to secure the first set 6-3.

A subdued looking Jankovic fell behind an early break in the second set as more errors flew off her racquet. Finally, Jankovic turned things around after hitting a trademark down the line backhand winner to set up a break point. Soon back level in the set, Jankovic would hold two set points up 5-4. Bouchard would save the first but then net a nervy looking forehand to give Jankovic the set 6-4.

Bouchard composed herself early in the final set and began once again to match Jankovic in their rallies. Absorbing Jankovic's bigger serves by snapping back potent returns, Bouchard again went up a break. Sending down an ace to hold for 5-3, Bouchard found herself just a game away from the win.

Stepping up with two more winners in the final game, Bouchard would rip one more big return to punctuate her 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 victory.

READ - Notes From This Week in Charleston

Jankovic felt she didn't have enough left in the final set to find the extra edge she needed to win.

"It was the third set, and you know, your concentration goes down a little bit if you're getting tired and all of these things, and I just, you know, it was so close," Jankovic said. "It could have went either way, if I was a little bit tougher out there, and you know, played certain points a little smarter. But that's, you know, the game. That's who does better wins, so Eugenie was the better one today."

Bouchard talked about having "short-term memory" that helps her get over losing leads along with past defeats.

"I think it's something I've worked on. I've learned over the years to not get too high after a win and too low after a loss, and within a match as well, you know. The point you just played, well, it's already in the past," Bouchard said. "It's important for me to just remember to focus on what I can control on the court, and it's something I've been working on for the past few years, and it's a work in progress. I keep trying to work on it."

Petkovic Outlasts Safarova to Reach Semis

Waiting for Bouchard in the semifinals will be Germany's Andrea Petkovic who battled her way into the final four.

Petkovic faced a stern test against lefty Lucie Safarova in their quarterfinal. After holding serve in a seven-minute game to go up 4-3 early, Petkovic would take the first set 6-3. Safarova roared back by taking the second set 6-1.

Staying aggressive in the final set, Petkovic earned a key break with a backhand winner to lead 3-1. From there, Petkovic would ace out Safarova on her fourth match point to clinch the 6-3, 1-6, 6-1 win.

On battling back in the final set, Petkovic said, "I think the key to the third set was definitely holding my serve when I was facing a lot of break points in the first two service games, and then I sort of relaxed, I don't know how, but I kind of relaxed and I just told myself, okay, if you want to win this match, you have to be more aggressive and you have to try to take the serves more earlier."

Charleston is the first Premier WTA semifinal appearance for Petkovic since Beijing in 2011.