The 22-year-old Bouchard met American Sloane Stephens, also 22, for the first time since 2013. In their second-round battle, Bouchard won 63 per cent of first-serve points and broke Stephens six times. She dropped her serve four times in the encounter lasting one hour and 41 minutes.
“We had some great points, really both going at it, and I was just, I think, a bit more aggressive,” said the Montreal native. “I think that made the difference.”
Bouchard, who has reached two finals (Kuala Lumpur, Hobart) so far this season, meets Switzerland’s Timea Bacsinszky in the third round.
Christina McHale upset No. 4 seed Muguruza to set up a meeting with another seed, No. 26 Samantha Stosur, who edged Belgian Yanina Wickmayer in a third-set tie-break.
In the final match of the day, No. 14 seed Ana Ivanovic outlasted a hard-hitting Camila Giorgi 2-6, 6-2, 7-6(5), saving two match points while serving to stay in the contest in the 10th game of the deciding set. The 2008 champion will meet Karolina Pliskova next.
Victoria Azarenka defeated Zarina Diyas of Kazakhstan 6-3, 6-2 to set up a meeting with Australian Open quarterfinalist Shuai Zhang, a 4-6, 7-6(8), 7-5 winner over 20th seed Caroline Wozniacki, champion here in 2011.
“I'm glad that I was able to go through this match,” said Azarenka, the 2012 champion, who picked up her 18th career title in Brisbane at the start of the season.
Two other seeded players advanced: No. 17 Elina Svitolina, a winner in three sets over Annika Beck, and No. 18 Karolina Pliskova, who ended the run of wild card Shelby Rogers 6-2 6-4.
Source: BNP Paribas Open
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