Bencic Faces Bouchard in Emotional Showdown at Montreal
So, there’s quite a story unfolding at the National Bank Open in Montreal this week—and it’s got a lot of eyes on the court. We’ve got Eugenie Bouchard, a fan favorite and former Wimbledon finalist, possibly playing the last matches of her career, and she's about to take on Belinda Bencic, the 17th seed and a former champion here.
Now, let’s set the scene. Bouchard, who’s 31 now, hasn’t been playing full-time tennis lately. In fact, she’s been more involved in pickleball these days, and this tournament in Montreal was announced as her swan song. She got a wildcard entry and, to the delight of her home crowd, managed to pull off a dramatic three-set win against Emiliana Arango in the first round. It was her first singles victory since 2023 and her first win in Montreal since 2016. After breaking serve to go up 5–1 in the final set, she said the crowd was so loud she couldn’t feel her body for about 30 seconds—so yeah, it was emotional.
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But things are going to get a lot tougher in the second round. Enter Belinda Bencic. The Swiss player is making her return to competition after a semi-final run at Wimbledon earlier this month, and she’s coming in fresh thanks to a first-round bye. Historically, Bencic has had the upper hand against Bouchard—she’s beaten her all three times they’ve played, including once at this very tournament back in 2015 when Bencic won the whole thing, defeating four Top 10 players along the way.
Statistically, Bencic has been one of the more solid performers on hard courts over the past year, even after taking some time off to become a mom. Her serve and return numbers are strong, and she’s been inside the Top 25 rankings in five of the past six seasons. Bouchard, on the other hand, is now ranked outside the top 1000 and is playing only her third singles match this year.
So, is this going to be Bouchard’s last hurrah? It very well could be. While she showed flashes of her old form on Monday and clearly fed off the crowd’s energy, Bencic brings a level of consistency and shot-making that might just be too much to overcome. The odds heavily favor Bencic—bookmakers are giving her a 93% chance of winning—but you never know. With the home crowd behind her, and knowing it could be her final match, Bouchard might just summon something special.
Either way, it’s a compelling moment in Montreal—one player chasing another title, and another playing for memory.
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