Bouchard finds winning rhythm in West Virginia

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W. Va. — This month at World TeamTennis, Eugenie Bouchard is pulling the trigger at the exact right moments both on and off the court.

On Wednesday, the Chicago Smash star won her singles set 5-1 against two different Springfield Lasers opponents. She got off to a 3-0 lead against Olga Govortsova before closing it out against sub Caty McNally.

"I'm mostly a singles player but having Sloane [Stephens] on the team, she's amazing, of course," Bouchard says. "She's playing most of the matches. To get some time today I was super excited and also nervous. I wanted to make coach [Kamau Murray] realize he made the right decision, make the team proud and just try my best."

Bouchard has also been taking the doubles court alongside nine-time Grand Slam champion Bethanie Mattek-Sands. She's using all her doubles time to sharpen her singles skills for when she gets the call-up.

The pair dominated McNally and Haley Carter 5-1 on Wednesday and are leading the WTT league in winning percentage in woman’s doubles at 68 percent.

Bouchard's is also shining off the court. The Canadian had a successful trip to the Gun Club to shoot clay targets.

She's also done some ATV off-roading, spent time at the infinity pool and gone horseback riding.

The world No. 334 is bouncing back from a tough 2019 which saw her fall in 13 consecutive first-round matches. She seems to be finding her rhythm and consistency at The Greenbrier this week after playing events in Charleston and Lexington.

There's more tennis to be played in West Virginia, but Bouchard recently announced that she will be competing at next month's Prague Open.

"Because of where my ranking is I would have to play some Challenger events," Bouchard says. "But luckily and so grateful that I was able to get a wild card into Prague."

The ITF cancelled all tournaments until the end of August but WTA events are scheduled in Lexington, Palermo and Prague.

It'll be the 26-year-old's first time in the Czech capital with the WTA International kicking off on August 10. She really wants to make the most of it.

"I'm just going to put so much pressure on myself because it's like you have literally one chance to make points," Bouchard says. "It's your only opportunity, it's your one tournament in the past six months. I've got to be ready."

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