OSAKA, Japan — Westmount’s Eugenie Bouchard lost her first career WTA tournament final on Sunday.
In a match in Osaka that lasted more than two hours, she lost 6-3, 5-7, 2-6 against Australian Samantha Stosur.
It was payback for the 29-year-old veteran, who had to withdraw against the 19-year-old rookie last April in the third round of the Family Circle Cup, the only other time the two have met on tour.
“I was a bit nervous before the match, but I think it’s normal,” Bouchard said. “I tried to tell myself that it was a match like any other. It worked for some moments, but not all the time. I always want to win, so I was really disappointed.
“I played well in the first set ... I was aggressive enough. Afterward, she elevated her level of play,” she continued. “She played better in the second set and even better than that in the third. I had my chances, but I didn’t take advantage of them. For her part, she seized on her chances as soon as they appeared. That’s what made the difference.”
Bouchard, ranked 35th in the world, seemed headed for victory after winning the first set, but a break by Stosur at the end of the second set was the turning point for the Australian.
“I made mistakes at the net when it was time to finish points,” Bouchard said. “She returned many balls while I was trying to do a bit more. Maybe I wasn’t concentrating enough. But when you play aggressively, these things happen.”
Bouchard said she was still satisfied with her performance in Osaka.
“I did a lot of good things this week,” she said. “My matches were tough mentally. I just missed a bit (on Sunday), but Sam is a good player. I’ll take some lessons from this match and continue to work hard.”
Bouchard was the first Canadian to qualify for a WTA final since Rebecca Marino in Memphis in 2011. Alexsandra Wozniak is the last Canadian to win a WTA tournament, in Stanford, Calif., in 2008.
Bouchard’s next tournament is at the BGL BNP Paribas Open in Luxembourg.