The WTA event in Miami is the 2nd worth-watching stop of this month. A Premier Mandatory event having a jam-packed list of top athletes. While some mid 20' players are consolidating their overall game of Tennis, others are on the verge of collapse. Ranked somewhere around the top 50 mark, Eugenie Bouchard, former world no. 5 a couple of years ago, remains one of the biggest disappointments of the women's tour. The Canadian who raise up to fame back in 2013 is now an average competitor who seems unable to produce a constant output of tennis.
Bouchard ousted by a new WTA sensation
In Miami's first round match, Bouchard (56 WTA) took on Ashleigh Barty (91 WTA) who received a wild-card for this event. The 20-year-old young Aussie player edged the Canadian at the end of a bumpy encounter. The opening set had its part of uncertainties as both players were unable to hold serve, but once the Aussie player settled into the tennis court Bouchard had no chance. It was 6-4 for Barty and the shadow of another painful exit was on the rise for the Canadian. The 2nd set saw a different outcome having the former top 5 producing a different tennis, a better one. She went on winning the set by 7-5 thus pushing the encounter into a decisive 3rd act.
That's the moment when Bouchard's weakness came to surface. Her lack of consistency took its toll. Eventually, it was the young Ashleigh Barty with the winning card. She ousted Bouchard 6-3 in the 3rd set.
Bouchard feels better when it comes to showbiz
Despite playing quite badly over the past 2 seasons or so, Eugenie Bouchard is still one of the most powerful marketing tools women's tennis has.
Back in 2013, 2014, as a result of a stunning run, Bouchard gathered a lot of focus around her image. It's nothing wrong to extract some benefits out of it, but it would be even better if she'll turn her focus on playing high-quality tennis again. In the end, this very activity propelled her to the heights of the fame. At 23 years of age, she still has time to work on her priorities. Her qualities as a professional tennis player are still there, just waiting for the proper use.
