Eugenie Bouchard in action during a tennis match. (Getty Images)
Former World No.5 Eugenie Bouchard has been awarded a wild card main draw entry for the upcoming GSB Thailand Open that will be held next week.
Apart from Bouchard, World No.15 Petra Martic and Road to Thailand champion Patcharin Cheapchandej have also been offered wild cards for the event organised by EA, the tournament announced.
Meanwhile, it was a year to forget for Bouchard, a former Wimbledon finalist. She endured a 13-match losing streak in 2019 which saw her world rankings dip to 267, according to the WTA.
However, thanks to a third-round showing in November’s Houston 125K followed by a run to the Auckland quarterfinals last month, Bouchard has once again slowly started to find her rhythm back.
Bouchard, who could not hide her excitement after receiving the entry, said:
“I’m so happy that I’m coming to Hua Hin to play at the GSB Thailand Open presented by EA. I’m so excited because I’ve never been to Thailand and I want to play in front of all my Thai friends,”.
Meanwhile, the other wild card entrant Petra Martic claimed that she could not wait to get there after receiving the news.
“I’ve heard great things about the tournament and the city itself, and I can’t wait to get there,” a visibly excited Martic said.
Unlike Bouchard, Martic enjoyed a career-best season last year, winning her maiden title in Istanbul and making her debut in both a Grand Slam quarterfinal at Roland Garros and in a Premier final in Zhengzhou.
The resulting effect was a top-20 ranking for the Croatian, who has never before achieved such a feat.
However, after second-round exits at both the Auckland and Australian Open, Martic will be hopeful that she could regain her good form and kick start the new year on a good note.
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