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Bouchard happy in a Wimbledon 'mob of love'

London - Eugenie Bouchard said she was delighted to be at the centre of a "mob of love" at Wimbledon on Tuesday as the one-time runner-up tries to resurrect her career.

The Canadian lost to Petra Kvitova in the 2014 final but since that breakthrough year, which also saw her reach the Australian and French Open semis, her tennis has gone into a tailspin.

READ: Title favourite Kvitova suffers shock Wimbledon exit

Once talked about as the 'next big thing' in the women's game, the former world number five is now ranked 188 and the 24-year-old from Quebec had to qualify to get into a Grand Slam she nearly won four years ago.

But she beat British wildcard Gabriella Taylor 6-0, 4-6, 6-3 on Tuesday to book a second round clash with Australian 17th seed Ashleigh Barty.

"I felt great support. I saw a lot of Canadian flags. I got mobbed after the match, pretty much. But it's a mob of love, so I liked it," said Bouchard.

"I have improved over the past couple of months. I wasn't able to play tournaments for a little bit, which was super frustrating, but it almost motivated me more as soon as I came back."

Bouchard is feeling renewed confidence under new coach Robert Lansdorp. She said they have worked on "every shot in tennis, improving little things here and there".

Despite her slide from the top, Bouchard is philosophical about her game.

"I have learned that life is great. Being Genie is great. Tennis is so fun, and I'm lucky to do it as my job," she said.

"Not getting the results is tough, but I have found other things that even when it wasn't going well, to still enjoy it, to enjoy things off the court. It is what it is.

"I will let the chips fall where they may.

"I feel a lot more comfortable on the court. I feel a little bit more like myself. I have always, deep down, had the belief."

Bouchard and her next opponent, Barty, have something in common: both won the Wimbledon girls' title.

"She's playing great. I think she loves grass. I really want to raise my level and try and play my best tennis against her and see what happens," Bouchard said of the Australian.

"I have always said winning the junior Wimbledon title was my best accomplishment in my career. I feel like immediately it really helped me transition to the pros. It gave me so much confidence. I shot up in the pro rankings soon after that.

"And having played all the Grand Slams, on-site, seeing the big stars in the second week I think helped me so much in terms of experience, in terms of comfort level coming back years later playing the professional event."

Despite her woes over the past few years, Bouchard feels she is now in a better place."

"I feel good right now," she said, "and I want to just keep improving".

Wimbledon results on Tuesday, the second day of the 2018 championships (x denotes seeded player):

Men

First round

Radu Albot (MDA) bt Pablo Carreño-Busta (ESP x20) 3-6, 6-0, 6-7 (5/7), 6-2, 6-1

Marcos Baghdatis (CYP) bt Dominic Thiem (AUT x7) 6-4, 7-5, 2-0 - retired

Karen Khachanov (RUS) bt David Ferrer (ESP) 6-1, 7-6 (7/3), 3-6, 7-5

Julien Benneteau (FRA) bt Márton Fucsovics (HUN) 7-5, 7-5, 6-3

Frances Tiafoe (USA) bt Fernando Verdasco (ESP x30) 7-6 (8/6), 7-6 (7/5), 3-6, 6-3

Kyle Edmund (GBR x21) bt Alex Bolt (AUS) 6-2, 6-3, 7-5

Bradley Klahn (USA) bt Yuichi Sugita (JPN) 2-6, 7-6 (8/6), 6-2, 6-2

Horacio Zeballos (ARG) bt Guido Andreozzi (ARG) 4-6, 7-6 (7/1), 6-4, 6-4

Novak Djokovic (SRB x12) bt Tennys Sandgren (USA) 6-3, 6-1, 6-2

Nick Kyrgios (AUS x15) bt Denis Istomin (UZB) 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/4), 6-7 (5/7), 6-3

Robin Haase (NED) bt Marius Copil (ROU) 7-6 (7/0), 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (7/4)

Bernard Tomic (AUS) bt Hubert Hurkacz (POL) 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 (7/2)

Kei Nishikori (JPN x24) bt Christian Harrison (USA) 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (7/3), 6-2

Damir Džumhur (BIH x27) bt Maximilian Marterer (GER) 6-3, 6-2, 6-4

Ernests Gulbis (LAT) bt Jay Clarke (GBR) 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/3), 3-6, 6-4

Taylor Fritz (USA) bt Lorenzo Sonego (ITA) 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2

Alexander Zverev (GER x4) bt James Duckworth (AUS) 7-5, 6-2, 6-0

Juan Martín Del Potro (ARG x5) bt Peter Gojowczyk (GER) 6-3, 6-4, 6-3

Feliciano Lopez (ESP) bt Federico Del Bonis (ARG) 6-3, 6-4, 6-2

Benoît Paire (FRA) bt Jason Jung (TPE) 7-5, 7-6 (7/1), 6-4

Denis Shapovalov (CAN x26) bt Jérémy Chardy (FRA) 6-3, 3-6, 7-5, 6-4

Matteo Berrettini (ITA) bt Jack Sock (USA x18) 6-7 (5/7), 6-7 (3/7), 6-4, 7-5, 6-2

Gilles Simon (FRA) bt Nikoloz Basilashvili (GEO) 6-1, 7-6 (7/5), 6-1

Stéphane Robert (FRA) bt Albert Ramos (ESP) 7-6 (7/5), 6-2, 6-1

Matthew Ebden (AUS) bt David Goffin (BEL x10) 6-4, 6-3, 6-4

Diego Schwartzman (ARG x14) bt Mirza Bašic (BIH) 6-3, 6-2, 6-1

Jirí Veselý (CZE) bt Florian Mayer (GER) 7-6 (7/3), 6-4, 4-6, 6-1

Simone Bolelli (ITA) bt Pablo Cuevas (URU) 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (8/6), 6-1

Fabio Fognini (ITA x19) bt Taro Daniel (JPN) 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3

Alex De Minaur (AUS) bt Marco Cecchinato (ITA x29) 6-4, 6-7 (6/8), 7-6 (7/5), 6-4

Pierre-Hugues Herbert (FRA) bt Mischa Zverev (GER) 6-4, 6-3, 6-4

Mikhail Kukushkin (KAZ) bt Vasek Pospisil (CAN) 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3

Rafael Nadal (ESP x2) bt Dudi Sela (ISR) 6-3, 6-3, 6-2

Women

First round

Simona Halep (ROU x1) bt Kurumi Nara (JPN) 6-2, 6-4

Zheng Saisai (CHN) bt Wang Qiang (CHN) 6-3, 4-6, 6-1

Lara Arruabarrena (ESP) bt Ana Bogdan (ROM) 6-1, 3-6, 8-6

Hsieh Su-Wei (TPE) bt Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS x30) 6-4, 4-6, 6-3

Johanna Konta (GBR x22) bt Natalia Vikhlyantseva (RUS) 7-5, 7-6 (9/7)

Dominika Cibulkova (SVK) bt Alize Cornet (FRA) 7-6 (7/3), 6-1

Sachia Vickery (USA) bt Markéta Vondroušová (CZE) 6-1, 6-2

Elise Mertens (BEL x15) bt Danielle Collins (USA) 6-3, 6-2

Jelena Ostapenko (LAT x12) bt Katy Dunne (GBR) 6-3, 7-6 (7/5)

Sofia Kenin (USA) bt Maria Sakkari (GRE) 6-4, 1-6, 6-1

Vitalia Diatchenko (RUS) bt Maria Sharapova (RUS x24) 6-7 (3/7), 7-6 (7/3), 6-4

Daria Gavrilova (AUS x26) bt Caroline Dolehide (USA) 6-2, 6-3

Samantha Stosur (AUS) bt Peng Shuai (CHN) 6-4, 7-5

Taylor Townsend (USA) bt Pauline Parmentier (FRA) 6-2, 6-4

Aliaksandra Sasnovich (BLR) bt Petra Kvitova (CZE x8) 6-4, 4-6, 6-0

Garbiñe Muguruza (ESP x3) bt Naomi Broady (GBR) 6-2, 7-5

Alison Van Uytvanck (BEL) bt Polona Hercog (SLO) 6-2, 6-2

Jennifer Brady (USA) bt Kateryna Kozlova (UKR) 6-2, 6-7 (4/7), 6-2

Anett Kontaveit (EST x28) bt Denisa Allertová (CZE) 6-2, 6-2

Ashleigh Barty (AUS x17) bt Stefanie Vogele (SUI) 7-5, 6-3

Eugénie Bouchard (CAN) bt Gabriella Taylor (GBR) 6-0, 4-6, 6-3

Yulia Putintseva (KAZ) bt Magda Linette (POL) 6-3, 3-6, 10-8

Angelique Kerber (GER x11) bt Vera Zvonareva (RUS) 7-5, 6-3

Claire Liu (USA) bt Ana Konjuh (CRO) 6-2, 6-7 (2/7), 6-3

Katie Boulter (GBR) bt Verónica Cepede (PAR) 6-4, 5-7, 6-4

Naomi Osaka (JPN x18) bt Monica Niculescu (ROU) 6-4, 6-1

Carla Suárez (ESP x27) bt Carina Witthoeft (GER) 6-2, 6-4

Sara Sorribes (ESP) bt Kaia Kanepi (EST) 7-6 (7/5), 6-1

Alison Riske (USA) bt Mariana Duque (COL) 6-1, 6-1

Belinda Bencic (SUI) bt Caroline Garcia (FRA x6) 7-6 (7/2), 6-3

Vera Lapko (BLR) bt Christina McHale (USA) 5-7, 7-5, 7-5

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