Latest news with #EmilianaArango
CBC
3 hours ago
- Sport
- CBC
Bouchard's retirement celebration on hold after upset victory in front of hometown crowd
Montreal tennis fans were ecstatic on Monday night as Eugenie Bouchard of Westmount, Que., defeated Emiliana Arango of Colombia 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 in the first round of the National Bank Open. The tennis pro praised for opening the door for other Canadian tennis players says it will be her last tournament before she retires, finishing off her career at home.
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Genie Bouchard‘s Montreal win presses pause on retirement
The post Genie Bouchard's Montreal win presses pause on retirement appeared first on ClutchPoints. Canadian tennis great Genie Bouchard originally planned to hang up her tennis racket at the end of July after the National Bank Open in her hometown of Montreal, but fans haven't seen her last match yet. Bouchard moved on to the second round after beating Emiliana Arango 6-4, 2-6, 6-2, reaching the 300-win mark and making it her first WTA Tour victory since September 2023. Bouchard drew a massive crowd for what was potentially her last career match. The 31-year-old and Arango were neck-and-neck heading into the third and final set before Bouchard broke the World No. 82 twice and took a 5-1 lead. The Colombian standout came back slightly to make it 5-2, but Bouchard swept the following game and never looked back. Among her family and loyal fans, Genie Bouchard admitted that the triumph had her reconsidering the career-ending decision. 'I told my family that if I won, I would come out of retirement,' Bouchard said post-match. 'I felt like the old Genie out there.' The former World No. 5 clearly still has a few wins up her sleeve at the end of a 16-year career that started in 2009 when Bouchard was just 15 years old. Bouchard finally had her breakout moment four years later in 2013, earning WTA Newcomer of the Year. She had the best year of her career to date in 2014, making it to the semifinals of the Australian and French Opens while becoming the first Canadian to play in a singles major final at Wimbledon. Despite dealing with struggles in her game and health since 2015, Bouchard helped her native Canada win the Billie Jean King Cup in 2023 and has extended her reach off the court as well. Bouchard is an avid spokesperson for athletes' mental health after being open about her own difficulties, and she was part of a panel at the National Bank Open in 2024 that discussed the progress the tour has made in providing tennis players with the necessary support. Related: Venus Williams earns US Open doubles spot as comeback continues Related: Coco Gauff preps for Canadian Open resurgence after Wimbledon upset
CTV News
2 days ago
- Sport
- CTV News
‘I felt like the old Genie': Bouchard extends career with first-round win at NBO
Eugenie Bouchard of Canada celebrates after defeating Emiliana Arango of Colombia during her first round match at the National Bank Open tennis tournament in Montreal on Monday, July 28, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov MONTREAL — Eugenie Bouchard's retirement will have to wait. The former world No. 5 — and first Canadian woman 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 Monday night at the National Bank Open, extending her tennis career for at least one match. 'I told my family that if I won the tournament, I would come out of retirement,' she said from centre court. 'I felt like the old Genie out there.' Bouchard, who also earned her 300th singles win, announced on July 16 that she would hang up her racket at the end of her hometown event. The 31-year-old from Westmount, Que., rose to prominence with a sensational season in 2014. At only 20, she reached the Wimbledon final, played in the Australian Open and French Open semifinals and won her only WTA title. Bouchard never returned to that level in a short-lived run among the best in tennis, but for one night at least, she resembled her old self — striking the ball with flair and painting the lines with forehand winners. '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,' she said. 'No matter what happens, I wanted to walk off the court having enjoyed that gritty battle. 'I enjoyed every second of it.' Now ranked 1,062nd, Bouchard has moved away from the pro tennis circuit in recent years, spending more time on the PPA Pickleball Tour, where she ranks 12th in singles. Knowing it could be her last dance, fans mostly filled IGA Stadium, welcoming Bouchard with loud applause when she stepped on the court and cheering her on — with mixed chants of 'Let's Go Genie!' and 'Allez Eugenie!' — with every point. Bouchard could feel the crowd's energy running through her. Sometimes a little too much. When Bouchard broke the 82nd-ranked Arango twice in the decisive third set — first with a forehand, then from the Colombian's missed volley — to build a 5-1 lead, she described the feeling as an 'out-of-body' experience. 'The crowd was so noisy that I didn't feel my body for 30 seconds,' she said. 'And I lost the game after that. It didn't help me at the time.' Arango broke back with Bouchard serving for the match to make it 5-2, but the Canadian went up 40-love in the ensuing game. Arango then sent her forehand wide on Bouchard's second match point. The local favourite held her hands above her head in disbelief, blew kisses to the crowd, and later told a shouting fan 'I love you, too!' 'It was electric out there,' Bouchard said. 'I'm so proud of how I competed and stayed focused throughout the whole match and fought. It was a physical battle, a mental battle, and it just felt amazing to play in Montreal in front of everyone.' Bouchard will take on 17th seed Belinda Bencic of Switzerland in the second round Wednesday night. She came out with flashes of her attacking style, pushing Arango out of position with a dangerous backhand before hitting a forehand winner to go up 1-0 in the first set. After holding serve to go up 5-4, Bouchard earned double breakpoint and hit a forehand winner down the line to take the set. 'I know that I have good tennis, but I didn't know if I could show it today,' she said. 'I put effort into practice recently and I really wanted to have a good performance. So I knew I could do that, but it depended on whether I could stay in the game mentally and not be in my emotions or think about all the things that were around this game and around this tournament. 'I'm proud I was able to do that. I still have my focus.' Bouchard's momentum didn't carry into the second set as Arango broke her three times to comfortably force a third. Then she got it back. Also on Monday, Canada's Kayla Cross, Ariana Arseneault and Carson Branstine dropped out of the NBO after the first round. Cross let a one-set lead slip away in a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 loss to Kamilla Rakhimova of Russia, and Arseneault of Richmond Hill, Ont., fell 6-4, 6-2 to Japan's Naomi Osaka. Branstine, who grew up in California but represents Canada through family ties in Toronto, pushed former world No. 3 Maria Sakkari to three sets, but ultimately dropped the two hour, 23-minute match 6-2, 3-6, 7-5. Toronto's Victoria Mboko, Bianca Andreescu of Mississauga, Ont., and Vancouver's Rebecca Marino advanced to the second round with wins Sunday. Andreescu's status for the remainder of the tournament is unclear after she hurt her left ankle on match point against Czechia's Barbora Krejcikova. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 28, 2025. By Daniel Rainbird
Gulf Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- Gulf Today
Bouchard extends career with first-round win at Canadian Open
Hometown hero Eugenie Bouchard beat Emiliana Arango 6-4 2-6 6-2 in the first round of the Canadian Open in Montreal on Monday, a win that delayed the former world number five's retirement. Bouchard announced earlier this month she would walk away from the sport after the tournament but added a condition to that plan in the wake of her thrilling victory in front of a packed crowd. "If I win this tournament, I will not retire," she said in an on-court interview. Playing in only her second singles match of the year, Bouchard blasted a forehand winner to take the first set but Colombian Arango turned the tables in the second set amid a cascade of unforced errors from her opponent. However, Bouchard broke for a 3-1 lead in the decider and hammered a swinging volley to extend the advantage to 4-1. Emiliana Arango returns a shot during her first-round match against Eugenie Bouchard. AP The 31-year-old wildcard put her hands on her head and then her heart after securing the victory to set up a second round meeting with 17th seed Belinda Bencic of Switzerland. Briton Emma Raducanu beat her good friend Elena-Gabriela Ruse of Romania 6-2 6-4 and will next meet 32nd seed Peyton Stearns. "It's very difficult to play someone who you are close to," Raducanu said. "I'm really glad about how I was able to put that to one side for the match and back up a good week in D.C." Four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka of Japan beat Canadian qualifier Ariana Arseneault 6-4 6-2 in breezy conditions to set up a second-round meeting with 13th seed Liudmila Samsonova of Russia. Eugenie Bouchard, of Canada, celebrates after defeating Emiliana Arango, of Colombia. AP In the men's tournament, which is being playing in Toronto, Australian Adam Walton roared back from a set down to defeat Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi 4-6 6-0 6-3 and set up a second-round meeting with top seed Alexander Zverev of Germany. Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta, the tournament's 2022 champion, came from behind to defeat Liam Draxl 2-6 6-4 6-4. Several top players withdrew ahead of the Masters and WTA 1000 tournament including world number ones Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic and Jack Draper. Reuters
Toronto Star
2 days ago
- Sport
- Toronto Star
‘I felt like the old Genie': Bouchard extends career with first-round win at NBO
MONTREAL - Eugenie Bouchard's retirement will have to wait. The former world No. 5 — and first Canadian woman 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 Monday night at the National Bank Open, extending her tennis career for at least one match.
