There will indeed be a Quebecer in the main draw of the women’s singles tournament at Wimbledon. But it’s not what we think.
Eugenie Bouchard, of Westmount, will walk the lawn of the All England Club as part of the major tournament which will take place from June 27 to July 10, the WTA circuit confirmed in a press release on Wednesday.
Bouchard, who is recovering from right shoulder surgery and hasn’t played on the women’s pro tour since March 2021 at the Monterrey tournament, was able to avoid the qualifying draw by virtue of her protected ranking.
The 28-year-old recorded one of her best career results at Wimbledon, being a finalist in 2014. Bouchard has won only one career tournament, that of Nuremberg in 2014.
The WTA has also confirmed the participation of Ontarian Bianca Andreescu, champion of the United States Open in 2019, and British Columbian Rebecca Marino, 109th in the world.
For her part, Quebecer Leylah Annie Fernandez will be conspicuous by her absence after suffering a right foot injury in the quarter-finals of the French Open last week.
Elsewhere, French Open champion Iga Swiatek will look to continue her irresistible streak at Wimbledon, while former champions Garbine Muguruza, Simona Halep, Angelique Kerber and Petra Kvitova have also confirmed their presence.
Swiatek, 21, is currently enjoying a 35-game winning streak, tied with American Venus Williams’ longest this century. His most recent victory allowed him to claim his second career title at Porte d’Auteuil last week. The Pole also won the junior title at Wimbledon in 2019.
Last year, Swiatek reached the fourth round at Wimbledon for the first time in her career, losing in three sets to Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur.