American qualifier Sachia Vickery took down Eugenie Bouchard in straight sets to reach the second round at the BNP Paribas Open for just the second time in her career.
Sitting at a career-high ranking of World No.100 and proving she can go even higher, Vickery, who has Guyanese roots, needed just under an hour and a half to see off the former Wimbledon finalist 6-3, 6-4.
“[Bouchard] is very tough, there’s no secret that’s why she’s been such a successful player,” Vickery said in her on-court interview after the match. “She always keeps you aware and she’s so aggressive and tough to play. I just tried to play smart and take my chances when I had the opportunity.”
Sachia Vickery
Vickery did well to take those chances against Bouchard in a match that featured eight breaks of serve across two sets. After trading breaks to start the match, Vickery emerged with the edge after three straight breaks of serve, dodging some break points of her own to take the first set.
Another back-to-back trio of service breaks went the way of Vickery in the second set, and although Bouchard had a chance to break back and cut into the American’s lead, Vickery held firm to take the match after just under an hour and a half.
Vickery stayed aggressive and had an answer for everything Bouchard through her way, racking up 22 winners to 24 unforced errors, outpacing Bouchard’s 18 winners and 36 unforced errors.
Vickery’s win earns her a chance to play number three seed Garbine Muguruza in the next round. “I’m just going to take in everything I can from today and try to be ready for the next match physically and mentally,” Vickery said. (WTA Tennis)
