While the men’s draw of the Mutua Madrid Open has taken two pretty significant hits with the withdrawals of Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, the women’s draw seems to be gaining star power. Eugenie “Genie” Bouchard, still working to return to former glory, has emerged from the qualifying draw to stake her place in the main draw.
To qualify for just her second Masters 1000 main draw since 2019, Bouchard knocked off a hobbled Sara Sorribes Tormo 6-1 4-1 (RET) and secured her place thanks to a 6-3 6-2 triumph over Elizabeth Mandlik, daughter of three-time Grand Slam champion Hana Mandlikova. She now moves on to face Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska in a battle of qualifiers, with the winner set to challenge No. 24 seed Martina Trevisan.
While advancing through qualifying may not seem like much for a one-time world No. 5 who reached the final of Wimbledon, it represents a considerable breakthrough for the now 29-year-old.
Although Bouchard’s struggles started many years ago, things went from bad to worse when a right shoulder tear suffered in early 2021 required surgery that prompted a 17-month hiatus from the WTA Tour. Since returning last August, a depleted ranking and qualifying struggles have kept opportunities few and far between. A run to the second round of Guadalajara last October represents her only main draw appearance at a 1000-level event in years.
Now, Madrid offers something of a new beginning for Bouchard. For her last main draw appearance at a Masters 1000 event on clay, you have to go all the way back to the 2017 Madrid Open, when she fell to Svetlana Kuznetsova in the quarterfinals. For all the questions that have lingered over the Canadian’s dedication to the sport, she’s certainly shown post-surgery that she is willing to put in the time to get matches under her belt and, hopefully, get back on top of her game.
In reality, Wednesday in Madrid brings just one match in what continues to be a step-by-step return to the limelight for Bouchard. Members of the “Genie Army,” however, are hoping that this could be a jumping off point for what would be a remarkable comeback story.
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