The Genie Juggernaut may have suffered a serious reality check on tennis’s grandest stage on Saturday, but the wheels are still in motion. Surging to a career-high of No.7 in the world following her run to the Wimbledon final, Eugenie Bouchard is now the highest-ranked Canadian women’s player in history. And with few points to defend heading to this year’s US Open, the 20-year-old can make greater leaps still. Thereafter the real test begins. Bouchard goes from being the underdog with nothing to lose to a woman bearing huge expectations.
A fourth straight semi-final finish or better at the slams is realistically on the cards at Flushing Meadows and after reaching her maiden Grand Slam final in just her sixth major appearance, the odds are that she is closing in on that breakthrough. The blonde ponytail and cover-girl good looks, combined with a fearless determination and relentless ball-striking, make the Quebecer a marketer’s dream. On the eve of The Championships, she inked a three-year endorsement deal with Coca-Cola Canada.
Her marketability will only soar after this past fortnight. And so flows “the next Sharapova” moniker. Best keep the hype in check though. Despite her deep runs at each of this year’s slams, Bouchard realises she still has a way to go before she is knocking off the biggest names in the game. The most notable players she has defeated in Grand Slam play are Ana Ivanovic and Angelique Kerber, and while she pushed eventual champion Maria Sharapova to three sets in Paris, she was soundly walloped by Li Na in Melbourne and now Kvitova at Wimbledon.
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