Canadian star Eugenie Bouchard has been labelled “spineless” by tennis fans after reigniting her infamous rivalry with Maria Sharapova by posting an explosive tweet at the Madrid Open, that has since been deleted. Bouchard kept her resurgent form going at the Madrid Open after beating Dayana Yastremska in the first round, before taking a shock swipe at her beaten opponent and Sharapova.
Bouchard won 75 per cent of her first serves and was successful on eight of 21 break point opportunities, prevailing 6-7 (6-8) 6-2 6-2 against Ukraine’s Yastremska. After a torrid few years in which she has tumbled down the WTA rankings, it marks the Canadian’s first main draw win at the Madrid Open since 2017, and her second at WTA 1000 level since February 2019.
The 29-year-old former World No.5, who beat Elizabeth Mandlik in qualifying on Tuesday to make the draw proper, is playing in her first main draw at a WTA 1000 event without the benefit of a wild card in more than four years. She will next face the 18th-seeded Martina Trevisan of Italy on Friday for a berth in the third round.
However, the former Wimbledon finalist caused a massive stir after her first round victory when she posted an explosive tweet that referenced doping scandals involving Yastremska, as well as five-time grand slam winner, Sharapova. “There’s something about playing dopers in Madrid,” Bouchard wrote on the post that accompanied a photo of her celebrating the win over Yastremska.
