Bouchard sets up Halep clash at Dubai Duty Free Tennis

Eugenie Bouchard needed a wild card to enter a Dubai tournament

Crowd favourite Eugenie Bouchard set up a dream clash with third seed Simona Halep with a straight set win over Vera Lapko in the first round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on Sunday night.
Bouchard, the 2014 Wimbledon runner-up, beat the Belarusian 6-3 6-4 in just 81 minutes in what was the last match of the opening day on the Centre Court.
"I think I played solid tennis over all. She played little better in the second set. I tried not to panic and stay calm. I am happy that I remained solid until the end," said Bouchard, who missed a match point at 5-2 in the second set.
"I try not to think too much when I play. I know I play well when I go by instinct. I tried to be aggressive on the returns and run down every ball no matter what. I tried to do that tonight as well," she added.
The 24-year-old Canadian will now take on last year's French Open champion and world number three Halep for a place in the third round on Tuesday.
The 27-year-old Halep, a former world number one, won the Dubai title in 2015.
Bouchard, on the other hand, is making her main draw debut here having lost in the last round of the qualifiers in 2014.
"Yeah, it's always a great opportunity to play the best players in the world," said Bouchard when asked about Halep, her next opponent.  
"I just want to give everything. Let's see what happens."
Bouchard, who reached a career high ranking of five in 2014 following semifinal appearances at the Australian and the French Opens and a runner-up finish at the Wimbledon that year, is now trying to regain her best form on the Tour.
The current world number 80 needed a wild card to enter a Dubai tournament where nine of the world's top players are fighting for the title.
Earlier, last year's runner-up Daria Kasatkina of Russia and two-time Grand Slam champion Garbine Muguruza survived three set battles to enter the second round of the tournament.

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