Japan’s Nao Hibino looks like she has firmly got Eugenie Bouchard’s number after she beat the Canadian for the third time in just over a month to reach the second round of the Tashkent Open.
The world No. 56 overpowered her opponent and came back from an early break in the second set to win 6-3, 6-3 in 1 hour and 28 minutes.
Hibino moved her record at Tashkent to 11-2 having won her only previous WTA title in Uzbekistan in 2015 and making the final again a year later.
She showed similar desire to go far this year and has now knocked out Bouchard in three of her last five outings including victories at an ITF event in Vancouver and at the Japan Women’s Open in Hiroshima.
Meanwhile Swiss No. 4 seed Stefanie Voegele was eliminated by promising Russian teenager Anastasia Potapova 6-4, 6-7 (3), 3-6.
German No. 5 seed Tatjana Maria came through comfortably with a 6-1. 6-2 victory over Russian Natalia Vikhlyantseva, and Slovakia’s No. 6 seed Anna Karolina Schmiedlova also avoided an upset with an impressive 6-3, 6-0 defeat of Serbia’s Dejana Radanovic.
Slovakian No. 8 seed Dalila Jakupovic beat Anna Blinkova of Russia 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 and Hungarian Fanny Stollar defeated Kurumi Nara of Japan 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
France’s Fiona Ferro knocked out Jana Fett of Croatia 1-6, 7-6 (4), 6-1 and Russian Maragarita Gasparyan sailed past home favourite Sabina Sharipova 6-2, 6-2