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2018 Hopman Cup, December 31, 2017 Australia vs Canada, Women's Singles Perth Arena, Perth, WA Daria Gavrilova vs Eugenie Bouchard |
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Australian Daria Gavrilova will look to start the new season off on a positive note at the Hopman Cup when she takes on Eugenie Bouchard, who is looking to rebuild her career in 2018. Join The Roar for live scores and coverage from 1pm (AEDT).
Gavrilova was primed for a big 2017, but would have been disappointed with the way things panned out. After a solid Australian summer, she was eliminated in the first round at the French Open and Wimbledon, before losing in the second round at the US Open.
A lack of power in her groundstrokes at times caught up with her and it’s something she will have attempted to fix over the off-season.
While her style seems to be unable to take her to the next level at grand slams when the pressure is really on, she is still ranked 25th in the world and will have a seeding when the Australian Open rolls around in a fortnight.
After the Hopman Cup, she is scheduled to compete at the Sydney International, which gives her plenty of preparation time before her adopted home grand slam.
At 23 years of age, time is still on her side, but this is an important year for Gavrilova where we start to find out if she will be able to take the next step when the pressure is on.
At the same age, Bouchard is a player who we know can take the next step, yet has had an incredibly disappointing last three years.
In 2014, the then 20-year-old was ascending to the top of the tennis world after semi-final appearances at the Australian and French Open, before a runners-up plate at Wimbledon.
She was taking the tennis world by storm, but hasn’t been able to match the heights since, dropping to world No.83 by the end of 2017.
Bouchard has been inconsistent at the best of times and will need to find a way to rediscover her best form in 2018. She showed patches of it in 2017, when her groundstrokes were flowing and errors minimised, but there wasn’t nearly enough to feel confident about what the Canadian will show on the road ahead.
The pair have met on three previous occasions although not since 2013. On that occasion, Gavrilova recorded her first win in the head-to-head meetings, advancing through qualifying at the Australian Open.
Prediction
Bouchard might be a little jet-lagged, and after two disappointing seasons, even with a big pre-season it might take her some time to find her feet.
Expect the Canadian to give it a shake, but ultimately come up short.
Gavrilova in three sets.
Be sure to join The Roar for live coverage of the Hopman Cup from 1pm (AEDT) and don’t forget to add a comment below.