Eugenie Bouchard is set for an anticipated face-off with Dayana Yastresmska in the qualifying rounds of the 2023 US Open months after controversy over ‘doper’ comments against the Ukrainian.
Bouchard, currently ranked World No. 216, is through to the second round of qualifying at the US Open. The former World No. 5 defeated American qualifying wildcard entrant Katherine Hui 6-2, 6-3 in the first qualifying round.
Meanwhile, World No. 111 Dayana Yastremska will face Eugenie Bouchard with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Great Britain’s Heather Watson.
The Canadian and the Ukrainian are now gearing up for their second meeting of the season at the US Open, following their maiden clash in the opening round of the Madrid Open in April that resulted in controversy.
In that match, Bouchard upset Yastremska with a 6-7 (6), 6-2, 6-2 comeback win. This was her first victory at the Madrid Open since her 2017 quarterfinal appearance. The Canadian notably defeated Maria Sharapova in the second round of that edition. It is worth mentioning that the Russian was on a comeback trail following her doping suspension – an incident Eugenie Bouchard severely frowned up.
Thus, following her Madrid win over Dayana Yastremska, the 2014 Wimbledon runner-up took a sly dig at Sharapov as well as the Ukrainian by mentioning Yastremska’s doping ordeal.
Dayana Yastremska was involved in a doping scandal in 2021 after she tested positive for a banned substance (mesterolone). However, her provisional suspension was lifted after the ITF ruled that she bore no fault for the positive test.
Eugenie Bouchard received immense backlash on social media for making controversial remarks towards the player found ‘not guilty’. She later apologized for the same.
“I want to apologize for my tweet yesterday. It was a lapse in judgment, and unnecessary. Though I’ve always championed fair play, I didn’t have all my facts in order and certainly didn’t mean to cause harm. I’m going to continue to work on myself going forward, both on and off the court,” she said.
Eugenie Bouchard will look to make her first Grand Slam main draw in three years at US Open 2023
Bouchard lost to eventual champion Iga Swiatek in French Open 2020
In recent years, Eugenie Bouchard’s career hasn’t panned out as well as she would have hoped. The Canadian rose to prominence after an outstanding 2014 season which saw her make the final of Wimbledon as well as the semifinals of the Australian Open and the French Open. She, however, failed to replicate the glory in the years that followed.
In 2021, Bouchard underwent shoulder surgery with kept her on the sidelines till 2022. She has since obtained numerous mixed results with no significant accomplishment thus far.
Bouchard will now look to turn the corner at the 2023 US Open, where she aims to make her first Grand Slam main draw appearance in three years. The World No. 216’s previous main draw appearance was in the third round of the 2020 French Open.
