New York, Aug 29 (EFE).- Jessica Bouzas qualified for the third round of the U.S. Open on Thursday after eliminating Britain’s Katie Boulter with a double 7-5 in one hour and 45 minutes.
The Galician, world number 74, will face in the next round the American Jessica Pegula, sixth, who got rid of her compatriot Sofia Kenin (54) by 7-6(4) and 6-3.
Bouzas, who is making his New York debut at the age of 21, started the match with more difficulties defending his serve than Boulter, world number 33, who signed the first break in the sixth game.
Bouzas’ reaction was immediate. She broke the next game to tie the set, gaining confidence and her game overwhelmed the British player at times.
He signed a new break on the eleventh serve to go 6-5 and with game in his favor, which he resolved to love and win the first set.
The Galician continued to roll over the second set, with two early breaks that put her at 5-2 and with her serve in her favor to resolve the duel quickly.
However, Bouzas had a good scare, losing that serve and the next one, allowing the British player to equalise the set at 5-5 and, above all, to regain her feelings at a key point in the match.
The Spaniard had doubts at the worst moment, but she did not let herself get carried away, she responded with a break that the British player ended up conceding with a double fault and put the match back on track in her favor.
This opportunity, the third, was not wasted by the Galician, who defended her serve with determination, putting another 7-5 on the scoreboard.
In a press conference after her match, Bouzas regretted not having gone out on the court “as active as I should have been”, something she attributed to “nerves” and “how the situation was a bit imposing”.
“It was difficult, above all, to bring out that determination and that energy, but well, in the end you manage to get it out,” he explained.
She also referred to the scare she had in the second set, when the British player was on the verge of a comeback.
“I think she played very aggressively in the first two games, with nothing to lose, and played very well in those two games. And then I blame myself for the 5-4 at the end, because I made a lot of mistakes at the start, played very few points,” she said.
“But what I’m most interested in is overcoming that difficult moment and, above all, getting out of that situation,” he added.
The young Galician tennis player, who this year reached the fourth round in her debut at Wimbledon, is also playing in the New York ‘major’ for the first time.
The US Open, the last Grand Slam of the year, began on Monday and will be played until Sunday, September 8 at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in the Big Apple.
