Eugenie Bouchard extends career for at least one match, delighting fans in Montreal
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Westmount-born tennis star Eugenie Bouchard delighted fans at IGA Stadium with a surprise victory Monday evening.
Bouchard was given a wild-card entry to her home tournament. She had announced this month she will retire after the National Bank Open.
'I told my family that if I won the tournament, I would come out of retirement,' Bouchard said from centre court Monday. 'I felt like the old Genie out there.'
You'll know when it's time. For me, it's now.
Ending where it all started: Montreal ️ pic.twitter.com/NxqKqXdgHt
— Genie Bouchard (@geniebouchard) July 16, 2025
The former world No. 5 — and first Canadian to contest a Grand Slam final in the open era — upset Colombia's Emiliana Arango 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 in the first round, extending her tennis career for at least one match.
Arango, a 24-year-old Colombian, is ranked No. 82 in the world, while Bouchard, 31, sits at 1,062 on the WTA Tour rankings.
Krista McNanney, who has been following Bouchard's career since 2005 and travelled from Petawawa, Ont., to watch her play at the nearly sold-out stadium, said she thinks the hometown crowd helped Bouchard win.
'I think (Canadian players) shine here because there's so many Canadian fans,' she said in an interview after getting a tennis ball signed by Bouchard. 'I always find that they do a little bit better when they're in their home country.'
Andrew Fudalewski, a Montrealer who used to coach tennis, said Bouchard was playing comfortably and confidently.
'I've seen her career over time, and sometimes she'll struggle to perform the way we know that she can. She's got a really amazing aggressive play style, and she's very accurate, but then sometimes she'll be in a winning position and she'll just miss that key shot,' Fudalewski said after the win.
'She seemed confident even when she ... messed up a winning position.'
Fudalewski and McNanney said Bouchard deserved the the wild-card slot she was given.
'It's a tournament organized in Montreal. It's a women's tournament. She's thinking of retiring. I don't think anybody in the world is going to be like, 'that's unfair,'' Fudalewski said.
Yahia Damak, 8, who accompanied Bouchard onto the court, said he knew she was going to win.
He said she played a strong first set, which she won, and 'saved some energy' during the second set, which she lost.
'I knew she was gonna win there,' he said, after Bouchard dominated the last set for the victory.
Bouchard will face No. 17 seed Belinda Bencic of Switzerland in the second round Wednesday night.
This story was originally published July 29, 2025 at 7:13 AM.
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