Canadian tennis star Eugenie Bouchard had finally got her performances working for her. After finishing runner-up in Jalisco, she entered the following tournament, the WTA Monterrey Open, with the same passion. However, Lin Zhu proved to be a better player that day.

Previously, Bouchard had defeated the Chinese player in the Wimbledon qualifications in 2019 in two straight sets. Before that, she had met Lin in WTA Taipei 2018, where Lin had retired in the third set.

Now, Lin had a chance to make a mark in the head-to-head and to stay another day in Mexico. Bouchard, on the other hand, was looking to maintain her clean record against the Chinese.

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Lin Zhu steals the first set from Eugenie Bouchard

Lin got the perfect start in the match, breaking her opponent’s first serve. But Bouchard returned the favor immediately, and Lin failed to hold her service after deuce.

Following the first two games, a tug of war started between the two. Firstly, the Chinese player failed to hold her next two serves, and consequently, she put Eugenie Bouchard in the driving seat.

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However, despite being 5-2 up in the set, the Canadian could not secure the advantage. Genie let her opponent make the stronger pull and gave away six straight games.

As a result, the Canadian paid a hefty price as Lin served an ace to seal the first set 5-7. Bouchard had begun her last campaign by losing the first set as well. But could she pull a win from a set down again?

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Zhu vs Bouchard: The decider set

To stay in the Monterrey Open 2021, Bouchard required more than what she had presented in the opening set. By holding her first two serves at 30, she was finding her way back into the match.

But across the net, Lin felt more confident about winning the competition than her opponent. Thus, she stayed toe-to-toe with Genie and kept her lead alive.

Their tug of war extended in the deciding set as they both fought to hold their service game. While the Canadian resolved her situation with power, her opponent used accuracy as her formula to win.

At 3-3, Lin got the first breakthrough and inched closer to winning the match in straight sets. Bouchard needed to return well to break the Chinese player and save the second set.

Incredibly, after 30 points and seven breakpoints, the Canadian leveled the second set at 4-4. It could well have been the decider of the winner of the tug of war.

Following that, Bouchard patiently held her service, asking Lin to serve to keep the second set alive. The Chinese responded positively and leveled the set 5-5.

Thereafter, both of them held their service and imposed a tie-breaker. At the pinnacle of their battle, the Chinese player came through and took a 4-1 lead. From there, she went on to win the match 5-7, 6-7(3).

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