2014 Family Circle Cup - Quarterfinals Freeforall on Friday

Eugenia Bouchard strokes a winner VS. Jankovic

When the Friday matches were over at the 2014 Family Circle Cup, so were the chances of having a former champion return to glory, while the crowning of a new ladies tennis winner was assured. In college basketball March Madness involves filling out a bracket of teams heading into the playoff scenario. The singles draw at the FCC is very similar, and it's a safe bet that these four names were not the final scenario on anyone's brackets - Bouchard, Petkovic, Bencic and Cepelova. The day began with No. 6 seed Eugenie Bouchard defeating No. 2 seed Jelena Jankovic in three sets. Jankovic is a past champion and a fierce on-court competitor. She told me at Monday's All Access Media Hour that she will watch videotape of herself after a match and she hardly recognizes her on court persona - surmising that it is like watching another person. With No. 1 seed Serena Williams knocked out, Jancovic seemingly was in the driver's seat, but that seat turned out to be an ejector seat when 20-yeard old Bouchard from Canada came to play on Friday with a tidy game that saw her striking clean winners and making the kind of nifty moves that players can when they are feeling in the groove. An example would be the last point of the second game in the second set, easily the best point I have seen at the 2014 FCC, when Jankovic clipped the tape on one volley and Bouchard returned it while Jankovic moved up to the net and they traded two more volleys before Jankovic dumped a shot into the net. Jankovic did win the second set, but lost the first and third and Bouchard calmly advanced.

In other results, Andrea Petkovic defeated Lucie Safarova.
Belinda Bencic defeated Sara Errani.
Jana Cepelova defeated Daniela Hantuchova.

To view past blog entries from the Family Circle Cup click 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, or 2009.