Eugenie Bouchard bid farewell to her professional tennis career with a fiercely contested match on Wednesday evening.
The 31-year-old Westmount native concluded her journey against 17th seed Belinda Bencic from Switzerland, falling 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 in a second-round showdown at the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers, having previously announced it would be her final competition.
Bouchard extended her run in Montreal with a surprising first-round victory over Emiliana Arango—marking her first WTA Tour win since 2023—and displayed glimpses of the fierce gameplay that propelled her to world No. 5 back in 2014.
The crowd favorite relived her glory days Wednesday, coming back from a set down, yet Bencic ultimately claimed victory after a two-hour and sixteen-minute battle.
Fans in Montreal filled the center court stands at IGA Stadium, chanting “Let’s Go Genie!” and growing increasingly louder as the warm summer night progressed, giving their support with multiple ovations.
After capturing the second set, Bouchard surged ahead in the third, breaking serve early and clinching a pivotal third game when Bencic’s shot went into the net on the Canadian’s fifth break-point opportunity.
Bencic, however, rallied back, breaking Bouchard to equalize at 3-3 in a tumultuous game filled with errors from the Canadian.
Facing a 5-4 deficit and needing to hold serve, Bouchard found herself in a 40-love hole and sent a shot wide as she defended against the second match point.
Throughout her roller-coaster career, Bouchard had a stellar 2014 season, capturing her only WTA title, reaching the semi-finals of both the Australian Open and French Open, and becoming the first Canadian woman to reach a Grand Slam final in the Open Era at Wimbledon.
However, her rapid ascent came crashing down after a shocking 6-3, 6-0 defeat to Petra Kvitova at the All England Club.
Her much-anticipated homecoming soon turned sour with a 6-0, 2-6, 6-0 defeat against American qualifier Shelby Rogers at the then-called Rogers Cup. The following year, Bouchard faced early exits at both the French Open and Wimbledon as a series of losses mounted.
A run to the fourth round at the U.S. Open hinted at a resurgence, but a concussion from slipping in the locker room—leading to a lawsuit—forced her to withdraw.
In recent times, Bouchard has occasionally participated in the pro circuit but has leaned more towards the PPA Pickleball Tour, where she currently ranks 12th in singles.
She prepared for her final event at the WTA 125 Hall of Fame Open in July—her first competition since last year’s NBO—but unfortunately lost her opening match in straight sets.
Bencic entered this match with a 3-0 advantage over Bouchard, including a win in the first round of the 2015 Rogers Cup in Toronto, where she claimed the title.
The 28-year-old Bencic struck early, breaking Bouchard with a backhand winner in the third game and extending her lead to 5-2, with Bouchard struggling with unforced errors before Bencic served out the first set.
In the second set, Bouchard finally found her groove, breaking Bencic with a precise winner that grazed the back line to go up 5-3, then successfully held serve to push the match into a deciding set.
With Bouchard out, the spotlight now shifts to rising star Victoria Mboko, the only Canadian left in the women’s singles draw. The 18-year-old from Toronto triumphed over 23rd seed Sofia Kenin on Tuesday and is set to face Marie Bouzkova in the third round on Thursday night.
