January 01, 2014 - 7:17 PM
PERTH, Australia - Eugenie Bouchard needed only 15 minutes on court Thursday for a 4-0 victory as Italian Flavia Pennetta quit with right wrist pain to hand Canada a 1-0 lead in their group tie at the Hopman Cup.
Milos Raonic was later playing Andreas Seppi in hopes of wrapping up the tie, with the mixed doubles rubber already written off due to Pennetta.
But Canada would then have to wait for the evening session at the Perth Arena and hope that host Australia defeated Poland 3-0. If the Poles win, they go through to the Saturday final, denying Canada a spot. Any other scoreline would lead to a count-back on games and sets won under the complicated tournament formula.
Bouchard would have preferred to have played a proper match against Pennetta, who said that she woke up feeling poorly with the wrist pain, which she also felt at times last season when she returned to the WTA after surgery.
"It's disappointing not to play a full match, but Flavia was having problems," said Bouchard, 19. "I was excited to play.
"It's also tough to play an injured opponent, it can do things to your game. But I was playing with confidence, I believe in my game and am confident. I feel good, I've had a good start to the year."
Montreal's Bouchard was playing for the first time since Canada's last group match Sunday at the eight-nation mixed team competition.
On her one of days off, she visited a horse show and also advised Raonic, from Thornhill, Ont., against going swimming with non-lethal sharks in the city aquarium, which he did anyway in a publicity effort for the event.
The 32nd-ranked Bouchard had previously beat Australian Samantha Stosur and fell to Pole Agnieszka Radwanska prior to the Pennetta result.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2014