PIN-UP Eugenie Bouchard has delayed her retirement plans by at least one more match after making a winning return in her home city.
The 2014 Wimbledon runner-up will lay down her tennis racquet and transfer her skills to pickleball after the conclusion of the National Bank Open in Montreal.
Fans gathered on Monday night thinking they might get the chance to say goodbye to Bouchard, who was once one of the top players on the WTA circuit.
More people have gotten to know her in recent years from stunning beach swimsuit photoshoots – the most famous was for Sports Illustrated – than from tennis appearances.
Since her heyday, she has faded from the competitive arena and slumped to 1,062 in the world rankings due to inactivity.
The 31-year-old chose this event as the best chance to say her proper farewells to the sport – she was given a wildcard by organisers – but she has managed to extend the party for a few more days.
The Montreal-born player won a gripping three-setter 6-4 2-6 6-2 over two hours and 14 minutes against Colombian world No82 Emiliana Arango at the IGA Stadium.
The place was rocking as she marked her first WTA victory since 2023 – and first success in her home city since 2016.
This was also her second singles match this year.
And she will now prepare to face Switzerland’s former Olympics champion Belinda Bencic in round two on Wednesday.
Bouchard – named after the Duke of York, Prince Andrew’s younger daughter Princess Eugenie – said: “I didn’t know what to expect.
“I woke up this morning just telling myself: ‘Look, I can’t control the result.’
“I just want to have a good attitude, have good fight, and try to feel good with my shots, feel good with my game.
“No matter what happens, I wanted to walk off the court having enjoyed that kind of gritty battle, and it definitely turned into one of those battles.
“I enjoyed every second of it.
“There were definitely moments where I had to kind of almost block out the noise and just pretend it was a normal point that just happened.
“And just keep going because the crowd was very loud out there, and I really, really appreciated it.”
HISTORY MAKER
Eleven years ago, Bouchard became the first player to represent Canada to reach a Grand Slam singles final.
She was crushed 6-3 6-0 by Czech player Petra Kvitova in the Wimbledon final on Centre Court.
That same season she made the semi-finals of the Australian Open and French Open and reached the Last 16 of the US Open.
Two years ago, she achieved a career high by helping Canada win the Billie Jean King Cup Final in Seville.
Her career has been derailed by inconsistent play and injury, which included a serious shoulder surgery that kept her off the court for 17 months between 2021-2022.
There was also a lengthy lawsuit against the United States Tennis Association (USTA) after she suffered a concussion when she slipped and fell in a US Open locker room in 2015.
In February 2018, a jury decided Bouchard was partially at fault – it determined the USTA was 75 per cent to blame for the incident, with Bouchard 25 per cent to blame.
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