Eugenie Bouchard's play in Auckland proves her comeback is no fluke

WATCH—Eugenie Bouchard in Waiheke Island:

With the 2019 tennis season having kicked off, Eugenie Bouchard, one of the game’s most popular players, is once again aiming be recognized for her abilities on the court.

Having spent much of the past several seasons on the fringe of the WTA tour from a results perspective, the 24-year-old showed signs this week in Auckland, New Zealand, of continuing her late surge from last year that put her back among the Top 100.

Several years ago, it appeared that struggles would be few and far between, and that Bouchard would continue to have a firm foothold among the game’s best. The young Canadian ended 2014 as the WTA’s Most Improved Player after a stellar campaign that saw her reach the Top 10 for the first time. Her year started off with an unexpected run to the Australian Open semifinals, the first time she advanced to the second week of a major and only a year after she fell in the second round of qualifying for the tournament.

Displaying her versatility, Bouchard won her first career singles title on clay several months later, then reached the final four at Roland Garros. At Wimbledon, she went a step further by progressing to the final, where Petra Kvitova stopped her charge.

After that career year, though, there have been more disappointments than accomplishments. The 2015 season started off with promise as she reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, but a first-round loss at Wimbledon knocked her outside the Top 20 for the first time in more than a year. At that year’s US Open, Bouchard experienced a solid run through the first week, but a slip-and-fall accident knocked her out of the tournament and eventually caused her to shut down the year earlier than expected.

In 2016, she bounced back to reach two finals in the first two months of the year, but failed to reach another quarterfinal. The plummet continued through 2017 and ’18, eventually causing her to lose her racquet endorsement with Babolat due to poor performances. By the time last year’s Wimbledon rolled around, Bouchard was on the verge of falling out of the Top 200, and was forced to qualify at the tournament where she had her greatest success.

Fighting through to the main draw, though, and getting in a series of matches did wonders for Bouchard's confidence. A couple of weeks later, she reached the semifinal on clay in Gstaad, the first time she advanced to the final four of a tournament in more than a year. When the qualifying rounds for the US Open came around, Bouchard steamrolled through the draw with the loss of only seven games in three matches. She lost in the second round of the main event, but pushed closer to the Top 100.

Never reluctant to make a coaching change, Bouchard finished up the year with Michael Joyce in tow, and their first event—the last of the year for the Canadian—was a success with a semifinal run in Luxembourg. She fell in three sets to Julia Goerges after winning the opener.

So far, the offseason appears to have paid dividends as Bouchard has come out on the positive side in her matches this week in Auckland. After two three-set wins, Bouchard lost her quarterfinal match in a third-set tiebreaker to, of all players, Goerges. The German saved a match point in the dramatic contest.

MATCH POINT: Goerges d. Bouchard

Bouchard remains in the doubles draw, however, having reached the final with American Sofia Kenin.

Momentum is on Bouchard's side, and even though her singles run has come to a halt in Auckland, recent experiences have shown that she knows how to gain it back and continue her climb up the rankings.

**Hopman Cup (Sat - Sat 12.29 - 1.5)

•    Roger Federer, Alexander Zverev, Serena Williams and Angelique Kerber headline the Hopman Cup. Watch live coverage on Tennis Channel Plus beginning Saturday 12/29 at 9:00pm ET.**

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•    Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, Naomi Osaka and Sloane Stephens open their 2019 seasons in Brisbane. Live coverage from three courts begins on Tennis Channel Plus on Sunday 12/30 at 8:00pm ET.**

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