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After a dramatic, encouraging victory over Lucie Safarova, Eugenie Bouchard struggles through doubles with stomach problems.

MONTREAL – With all the background noise leading up to it, and with so much history to overcome, Genie Bouchard’s 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (3) victory over Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic Tuesday afternoon at the Rogers Cup should have been a triumphant moment to savour.

Unfortunately for Bouchard, the rest of the day didn’t go as smoothly.

The 22-year-old, who played doubles later on with countrywoman Carol Zhao, was in some distress on the court in the second part of a 6-2, 6-2 loss to Americans Raquel Atawo and Abigail Spears. She was grabbing her stomach and ran off the court and into a waiting cart no more than 30 seconds after the handshake.

And after a long wait for her press conference, it wasn’t Bouchard herself who walked into the interview room but fill-ins Nick Saviano and Sylvain Bruneau, the captain of the Canadian Fed Cup team.
Here’s what they had to say about Bouchard’s absence – and issues.

For all the looking back to Bouchard’s last, disastrous appearance on the Montreal centre court, her effort Tuesday nearly two years later was of such quality and grit that perhaps some of those demons were eradicated once and for all.

Bouchard was really struggling physically at the end of her first-round doubles loss with partner Carol Zhao, and rushed off the court as soon as it was over. (Stephanie Myles/opencourt.ca)
Bouchard was really struggling physically at the end of her first-round doubles loss with partner Carol Zhao, and rushed off the court as soon as it was over. (Stephanie Myles/opencourt.ca)

The player who, just a week ago, pressed the panic button far too early on the stadium court at the Citi Open in Washington, D.C. against Camila Giorgi dug in exactly a week later, recovering from a hiccup in the second set and a 1-3 deficit in the third-set tiebreak to win a match against a high-quality opponent.

Regardless of the final score, the number of positives to take out of the match in terms of the way the Montrealer competed and played would have been something to take forward.

But to also come out with a win is far sweeter, and most welcome.

Bouchard will play the 6:30 p.m. evening match Wednesday – unfortunately, at the same time as Milos Raonic opens his Rogers Cup campaign in Toronto – against a rather familiar face in No. 11 Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia.

The first few serves from Bouchard – and several more throughout the match, broke 180 km/hour. That’s uncharted territory for the Montrealer, who was clearly pumped up but also is seeing the positive effects of some determined work with Saviano on the biomechanics of her serve.

The key, among others, is loading up better on her back leg, but the entire stroke has become more biomechanically sound, he said. Saviano added that Bouchard is a lot stronger physically than she was a year ago, only adding to the velocity.

If the percentage wasn’t where it should have been in the second and third sets, the effectiveness was off the charts. Bouchard won 88 per cent of her first-serve points in that third set, and 64 per cent of her second-serve points.

After a long stretch when her once-trusty weapon became the most vulnerable part of her game, it has been on a slow but steady upswing and Tuesday’s effort was the best yet.

Bouchard also was consistent in giving Safarova back whatever she was offering from the baseline.

And best of all, she battled. That “every ball” mantra Saviano constantly drums into her head was put into heavy rotation against Safarova, a quality player whose deserved place in the top 10 was compromised by a lengthy bout with a virus that had her miss the Australian Open earlier in the year. Safarova has slowly rounded into form lately, though, and seemed at close to full quality Tuesday.

Bouchard dashed off the court at breakneck speed 20 seconds after the handshake, into a waiting cart. Coach Nick Saviano said she was in a lot of discomfort afterwards, the combination of nerves, heat – and a lot liquids – and possibly something she ate between her singles and doubles matches. (Stephanie Myles/opencourt.ca
Bouchard dashed off the court at breakneck speed 20 seconds after the handshake, into a waiting cart. Coach Nick Saviano said she was in a lot of discomfort afterwards, the combination of nerves, heat – and a lot liquids – and possibly something she ate between her singles and doubles matches. (Stephanie Myles/opencourt.ca

Even down 40-love on Safarova’ s serve, Bouchard tried. Even when a ball seemed unreachable, she kept running, and trying, and retrieving.

There was a cumulative effect to that and in the end, her last great defensive effort set up match point in the deciding tiebreak.

Safarova gifted her the victory with a double fault – her 10th of the match – but the victory had been well-earned.

Here's what it looked like.

Bouchard was greeted by a massive crowd after her victory, as Simona Halep slipped by nearly unnoticed to have a practice session on the stadium court.

As you can see, she appeared to be just fine at that point.

While Saviano and Bruneau spoke confidently of Bouchard bouncing back Wednesday after some rest, she will need everything she has against the bulldog Cibulkova, who somehow seems to have been on the other side of the net for many Bouchard adventures over the last 12 months.

The newly married Slovak (her wedding day was the day of the Wimbledon ladies’ singles final) was the last singles opponent Bouchard faced at the US Open in New York last summer. It was arguably the most impressive victory Bouchard had in 2015 through her season of struggle – a marathon win in the New York heat that put her in the final 16 in the singles event.

Then came the concussion incident in the locker room that ended Bouchard’s U.S. Open hopes.
Cibulkova also was the one on the other side of the net at Wimbledon a month ago and this time, it was no contest.

With an opportunity to reach the fourth round against an opponent she had to be confident she could defeat given their previous history, Bouchard’s 2015 demons made an appearance after solid wins in the first two rounds.

It was a match best left in the past. And perhaps the win over Safarova Tuesday also will allow Bouchard to put the drama of the 2014 Rogers Cup in Montreal in the rear-view mirror.