Wednesday night will forever be etched in the history of the National Bank Open presented by Rogers as Montreal bid adieu to a Canadian tennis superstar and one of their own.
But before she hit the final shot of her career, Eugenie Bouchard reminded us all why she was deserving of a ceremonial sendoff as she pushed world no. 20 Belinda Bencic, a Wimbledon semi-finalist earlier this month, to the limit before accepting defeat 6-2, 3-6, 6-4.
After turning back the clock in her first round victory, Bouchard put forth yet another vintage performance from the former world no. 5 who went toe-to-toe with Bencic from the baseline for three sets, matching her ball striking and intensity, point in, point out. It was the perfect way to say goodbye.
Her post-match speech touched all the right notes and she made sure to end with a special thank you to the Montreal fans who supported her from the beginning.
Swiatek and Pegula start off strong
Jessica Pegula began her quest for a three-peat at the NBO with a 7-5, 6-4 win over a resurgent Maria Sakkari to cap the day session. She thereby avoided a three-match losing streak, which would have been her first such streak – not including the WTA Finals – since the end of 2021 and start of 2022.
Sakkari certainly had her chances, especially when holding five set points on the Pegula serve at 5-4 in the opener.
Pegula has now won four in a row against the former world no. 3, all in straight sets.
Meanwhile, Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek continued her winning ways with a convincing 6-3, 6-1 victory over Chinese qualifier Guo Hanyu. Amanda Anisimova, Madison Keys, Karolina Muchova, Clara Tauson, Naomi Osaka, Emma Raducanu, and Elina Svitolina also advanced to the third round on Wednesday.
Fernandez could hit the roller coasters
In doubles, Montreal siblings Leylah and Bianca Fernandez lost to reigning Olympic champions Jasmine Paolini and Sara Errani, 6-4, 6-2.
Now that her tournament is done, Leylah Fernandez – beaten on Tuesday in singles by Maya Joint – intends on celebrating her big Washington title. There was virtually no time to do it Sunday, since she faced a quick turnaround to compete at home.
What does she plan to do? Maybe, she said, visit La Ronde, an amusement part in Montreal, for the first time and get on some roller coasters.
Photo by: Pascal Ratthé
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