Eugenie Bouchard's poor run of form continued Wednesday as the Canadian suffered a first-round exit at the hands of Australia's Ashleigh Barty at the Miami Open. Wildcard Barty's 6-4, 5-7, 6-3 win sets up an all-Australian clash in the second round of the WTA hardcourt event against 14th seed Samantha Stosur. But for the 23-year-old Bouchard, a former world number five who has slumped to 56th in the rankings, it was another blow after her first-round exit in Indian Wells.
"It has been a bit of a struggle," said a stone-faced Bouchard, who was unable to account for her loss of form.
Bouchard was a beaten finalist at Wimbledon in 2014 but, apart from a run to the semi-final at Sydney where she was beaten by Britain's Johanna Konta, she has been unable to make an impact this year.