“Happy to Fight for Titles”: Eugenie Bouchard Reflects on Positives from WTA Guadalajara 2021 Loss

It wasn’t a happy ending for Canadian tennis star Eugenie Bouchard at WTA Guadalajara but she preferred to dwell on the sunnier side of things instead of lamenting the loss of what would have been her first Tour title in the longest time.

After reaching the final on the back of a string of wins and turning the hands of the clock with some vintage performances, the 27-year-old Bouchard fell to a straight sets loss to Spaniard Sara Sorribes Tormo in the championship clash at the scenic Guadalajara on Sunday.

Eugenie Bouchard says it was “frustrating” to blow a 5-3 lead in the second set in WTA Mexico final

Despite the result, Bouchard is happy that the tournament almost brought her the right reward for trying to “improve every day”.

Courtesy of her final appearance in the Mexican city, the Canadian, currently ranked 144th in singles, will be within touching distance of realizing one of her immediate goals, which is to break back into the Top-100.

“It’s been a long road playing many tournaments after the pandemic but I’m happy to be in this ranking and play more tournaments,” Bouchard said after her loss in the final.

The Canadian, who was placed at a lowly 330th in singles during the pandemic break last year, will rise to 116 when the WTA comes out with the new rankings.

Sharing her thoughts on the title clash, Bouchard said it was “frustrating” to blow a 5-3 lead in the second set but she is “happy to win games and fight for the titles.”

Eugenie Bouchard confirms participation in the Bogota event but unsure about traveling to Argentina

Confirming that she would be leaving for her next battleground “Monterrey”, the Canadian said that she enjoyed playing to a crowd after more than a year.

“The Mexican fans are very special”, she said, adding that she arrived late for the tournament after catching a “very long flight” and is “very happy” with how the week panned out for her.

This year marked Bouchard’s debut in the tournament.

She said she will be playing in Bogota, the Colombian capital, adding that “how next week goes” will determine if she will travel to Argentina for an event scheduled before.

Revisiting happy memories of playing a lot of junior tennis in South America, the Canadian said “it will be nice to come back”.

Read More: “Going to Go For It”: Eugenie Bouchard Ahead of WTA Guadalajara Open 2021 Finals

Some of her other notable performances on the comeback road include a quarter-final appearance in Prague last year, reaching the final in Istanbul and Round 4 at the French Open before falling to eventual champion Iga Swiatek.