Former World No. 5 Eugenie Bouchard fell short of winning the Istanbul Cup final. She lost to Patricia Maria Tig 6-2, 1-6, 6-7 (4-7), despite winning the opening set in 23 minutes.
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The Canadian was looking to win her second WTA title but lost her way in the second set after getting broken multiple times. Bouchard saved two match points when Patricia was serving at 5-3 in the third set and fought back to force the match into a tiebreaker.
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However, the 26-year-old could not keep her momentum and lost the final in the third set tiebreak. Bouchard last won a WTA title at the 2014 Nuremberg Cup and played her last final in the 2016 Malaysian Open.
During the post-match conference, the 2014 Wimbledon finalist congratulated her opponent on playing an outstanding match. Bouchard expressed her gratitude for her coach, family, and her fans around the world for their support over the last week.
Amazing effort and heart, @geniebouchard.
Congrats on a stellar week đ#tennischampistanbul pic.twitter.com/u45jGnORKB
â wta (@WTA) September 13, 2020
âWow, what a match, want to congratulate my opponent Patricia for playing so well today. I would like to thank my coach Tim for being here with me this week and for helping me improve every single day. I would like to thank my family, friends, and fans who are watching from home around the world, waking up at crazy hours to match my match, especially my mom,â Bouchard said in the post-match interview.
Eugenie Bouchard breaks into the Top-200 in rankings
Bouchard entered the tournament ranked No. 272, and after an exceptional run at the Istanbul Cup, she will now be ranked World No. 163. The Canadian thanked the tournament officials for giving her a wildcard entry into the qualifying event despite her low ranking.
âMy ranking wasnât even good enough to get into this tournament. So, thanks to you, I had a chance to play and get all the way to the finals. This was a very memorable week in Istanbul,â said Bouchard, expressing her gratitude to the tournament.
As far as her immediate future is concerned, Bouchardâs chances of playing the French Open in two weeks seem grim. The only way she can enter is through a wildcard.
