“Well, I have no other choice,” said Bouchard with a laugh when asked about the long climb back. “There’s no short way back. So I am doing what I have got to do, step by step.”
Now ranked 326, Bouchard relied on a wildcard to get into ASB Classic qualifying.
She justified that decision with a solid 6-4 6-3 win over world No 129 Ann Li on Saturday, in front of a modest but enthusiastic crowd.
The Canadian was quickest to settle – after a rusty start by both players – and grabbed the crucial break in the first set.
The second set was more clearcut, with Bouchard getting to a 4-1 lead then easing home.
“It was pretty solid, it’s always a weird feeling going into your first match of the year,” said Bouchard. “We haven’t played in a couple months so happy I was able to not make too many loose errors and keep my focus for the entirety of the match.”
Bouchard tried to take the initiative – particularly with her return game – which eventually paid off.
“I felt at times I could have been even a bit more aggressive. Sometimes I let her kind of dictate a little bit too much. You know, that’s my game. So I gotta go out swinging.”
Bouchard has good memories of Auckland, after reaching the last eight in 2019 and 2020.
“I love playing here,” said Bouchard. “I’ve always enjoyed the fans, they are really into tennis. Even today for qualifying we had people come out and you don’t see that at other tournaments. And I like the court - I’ve always played well, made a couple of quarter-finals. So I have good positive memories.”
In an earlier match on Saturday, Kiwi teenager Vivian Yang fell to veteran Sara Errani 6-1 6-4 in 73 minutes.
There was a massive gulf in experience – as the Italian is a former French Open finalist – and it showed early.
But the 17-year-old Yang, who is ranked more than 600 places below Errani (109), showed some good resolve in the second set, breaking the Italian’s serve, though was eventually undone by unforced errors.
“She played really well and made it tough for me,” reflected Yang. “But I am really proud of how I fought out there, the responses I showed her. There is a long journey ahead of me so it is all part of the learning process.
“There are a lot of physical work-ons for me and [the] mental approach on big points. It’s more about staying with the high quality level of players and hanging in there.”
Yang will stay in Auckland for the rest of the week – “to observe and watch and learn” – before heading to Melbourne for the Junior Australian Open.
The final round of qualifying is on Sunday.
