BNP Paribas WTA Finals, Singapore

Round Robin, Day 1: [CR4] Simona Halep (ROU) vs. [CR5] Eugenie Bouchard (CAN)

Bouchard is not handling the pressure of expectation very well and today was another example of the poor job she is doing.  Her performance was pitiful, she could barely get the ball in play and when she finally did, she rarely kept it in play, losing point after point due to errors.  They were not unforced errors, they were errors caused by tension and panic.

At the moment, Bouchard lacks confidence and she was not comfortable with any aspect of her game, indicating that once again she was overwhelmed by nerves. This is surprising because prior to the 2014 Wimbledon, Bouchard handled the demands and stress fairly well; however, that was before  everyone paid attention to what she had accomplished.  Now they are expecting more and unfortunately, Bouchard has not been able to meet those expectations because the stress is adversely affecting her game.

The final point gives an accurate assessment of the match, another error, “double-fault”, and it left Bouchard in stunned disbelief and gave the victory to Halep 6-2, 6-3.