Bouchard closes the book on WTA career in her hometown

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Canada’s Eugenie Bouchard, a former Wimbledon finalist and WTA World No.5, played the last singles match of her professional tennis career Monday at the Omnium Banque Nationale présenté par Rogers in Montréal. After announcing earlier this month she would play her final tournament in her hometown, the 31-year-old bowed out in the second round against No. 17 seed Belinda Bencic, 6-2, 3-6, 6-4.

Bouchard was the first player born and representing Canada to reach a Grand Slam singles final, the first from the country to crack the Top 5 and part of Canada’s historic Billie Jean King Cup–winning team in 2023.

In 2008, Bouchard made her professional debut on the ITF Circuit, and at 14 years old, she played her first WTA qualifying, in Montréal. Her WTA main debut came as a wild card at Washington, D.C. in 2011, while in 2012 she defeated Elina Svitolina to capture the girls’ singles title Wimbledon.

She made her Top 100 debut on April 8, 2013 and cracked the Top 50 on September 16, 2013. Later that season, at Osaka, Japan, Bouchard reached the first of eight tour-level singles finals and was named WTA Newcomer of the Year.

In 2014, Bouchard’s banner year, she broke through to the semis at the Australian Open and Roland Garros, falling to the eventual champions, Li Na and Maria Sharapova, respectively. Then, seeded No.13 at Wimbledon, she stormed to the final, defeating No.3 Simona Halep in the semis before falling to Petra Kvitova in the title bout.

The 2014 season also brought a singles title on the clay of Nürnberg, where Bouchard defeated Karolina Pliskova for the trophy; another runner-up finish to Kvitova, at Wuhan (her best result at a WTA 1000 event); and qualification for the WTA Finals in Singapore.

Reflecting on Bouchard’s career, Portia Archer, CEO of the WTA, said: “With her standout achievements on court and engagement with fans, Genie has inspired a generation of young Canadians and helped grow the popularity of tennis around the world. On behalf of the WTA, I wish her every happiness and success as she sets out to conquer fresh challenges.”

Bouchard leaves the game with a main-draw singles win-loss record of 157-144, including 12 wins over Top 10 opponents, and career prize of around $7 million. In addition to her singles title at Nürnberg, she won a doubles title in 2019 with Sofia Kenin at Auckland, contesting five doubles finals overall.

In recent years, the Canadian star has gained experience as a presenter and pundit for the Tennis Channel, and in 2024 she made her professional debut as a pickleball player on the PPA Tour. She is signed up to compete in the Luxembourg Ladies Tennis Masters, an invitational event featuring WTA alumnae, this coming October. 

For more on Bouchard’s stellar career, click here.

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