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FLUSHING MEADOWS, NY – A year ago, just back from missing 18 months with a shoulder injury and surgery, Genie Bouchard lost in the second round of US Open qualifying to 17-year-old Linda Noskova.

This year, she’s back, and looking to go a couple of rounds better – back to the main draw of the final Grand Slam of the season for the first time since 2019.

The 29-year-old got off to a slightly nervy, but successful start Tuesday, but came through with a 6-2, 6-3 win over 18-year-old American Katherine Hui.

Here’s what it looked like.

It was Hui’s first-ever match above the ITF level.

Ranked No. 394, she got a wild card into the US Open qualifying by reaching the final of the US National under-18s 10 days ago.

***Tuesday was a huge occasion for young Katherine Hui, and the nerves showed a little***
***in her loss to Genie Bouchard at the US Open).***

That inexperience showed as Bouchard, who had played just one match since Wimbledon – a topsy-turvy three-set loss to Danielle Collins in the qualifying in Montreal – raced to a 6-2, 4-0, start.

That’s when it started to get a little complicated – especially on the Canadian’s serve.

There were some anxious looks and some chatter towards her supporters. But in the end she was able to close it out.

Even rusty, she was a few levels above an opponent who struggled to hit 85 mph with her first serve.

***Everything was sort of cruising along for Bouchard on Tuesday, until she hit a few nerves on her serve in trying to close out her first-round match. She did, though.***

The win, Bouchard’s first since late June when she won her first round in Berlin against Aussie Kimberly Birrell, puts her in the second round of qualifying on Thursday.

Next up: Dayana Yastremska

Bouchard will play Dayana Yastremska, a player who also is looking to climb back up the ranks.

Yastremska has had a tough time of it lately – not only on court, but with having to make a quick exit from Ukraine a year and a half ago, when the war first broke out.

Her career high singles ranking of No. 21 came just six weeks before the pandemic broke out and halted all tennis for five months. She’s definitely not caught any breaks.

But unlike Bouchard, Yastremska comes into New York having played plenty of matches, and with some momentum and confidence.

Still only 23, Yastremska won three WTA titles as a teen. But last week, she won a WTA 125 title in Poland – her first title of any kind since 2019.

***Yastremska made fairly short work of Heather Watson in the first round of US Open qualifying Tuesday. She’ll face Genie Bouchard in the second round on Thursday.***

A few weeks ago Yastremska was outside the top 150. With the title in Poland, she rose to No. 111.

On Tuesday, she took care of British veteran Heather Watson 6-3, 6-2 in 1h23.

Bouchard and Yastremska have met only once, and it was this year; Bouchard beat Yastremska 6-7 (6), 6-2, 6-2 in the first round of the 96-draw, on clay in Madrid.

Both have everything to shoot for on Thusday.