Eugenie Bouchard’s fairytale career was extended after an opening-round victory at the Canadian Open.
The Canadian, who recently announced her impending retirement following the tournament in Montreal, defeated Emiliana Arango 6-4 2-6 6-2.
Bouchard reached the Wimbledon final in 2014, only to slip down the rankings thereafter and fail to recapture the form that saw her pinned as one of tennis’ most promising prospects.
Another icon competing in Montreal, Iga Swiatek, was asked about Bouchard and if she ever watched the Canadian while growing up.
The Pole was frank in her response, pinpointing the ‘only’ player she watched.
Iga Swiatek confirmed she could be good on clay after playing Eugenie Bouchard
The year 2020 was a coronation of sorts for future world number one Iga Swiatek. Heading into the French Open, the Pole was ranked 54 in the world and far from a contender for the title.
However, Swiatek would go on to stun opponent after opponent, defeating Sofia Kenin in the final to lift her first Grand Slam title. Fast forward to 2025, and Swiatek has won her first Wimbledon title and sixth Grand Slam in total.
During that 2020 tournament, Swiatek played Eugenie Bouchard in the third round; their only WTA Tour meeting. Swiatek won the third round match 6-3 6-2.
Swiatek spoke about that encounter during her pre-tournament press conference at the Canadian Open.
Swiatek said: “I’ve got to say I wasn’t watching too much of tennis. I only watched Rafa [Nadal], but besides that, I had to go to school and practice, so when I came back home and I saw my parents watching tennis, I was like, okay, that’s enough, you know?
“So I don’t remember much, but obviously I remember when we played and yeah… I don’t remember much, so I can’t say a lot, but this match that we played was, I think, solid from both sides and we played on clay and it was like the, I don’t know, the beginning of me, like confirming to myself that I can be good on clay.
“The only match I played on Simonne Mathieu, so I remember it.”
Could Iga Swiatek and Eugenie Bouchard meet at the Canadian Open?
While perhaps unlikely, it is not impossible. Iga Swiatek and Eugenie Bouchard could meet in the quarter-finals if results go their way.
Swiatek will have to defeat China’s Hanyu Guo before a potential match against Wimbledon quarter-finalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. From there, the highest seed left in her section of the draw is Clara Tauson.
Meanwhile, Bouchard has a tricky route to the quarter-final stage. First, she faces Olympic champion Belinda Bencic before a potential match against 11th seed Karolina Muchova.
After that, Bouchard is projected to face Australian Open champion Madison Keys.
