LONDON | In the shadow of Wimbledon, about 10 minutes by car from the prestigious All England Club, Eugenie Bouchard saw her dream of returning to the tournament she loves so much come to an end in her first qualifying match on Tuesday.
“Genie”, dropped to 218e world ranking due to a serious shoulder injury that kept her out of action for more than a year, was beaten 6-4, 7-5 by 121st-ranked Belgian Greet Minnene.
Photo Jessica Lapinski
The “qualifiers” of the most legendary of major tournaments taking place in Roehampton, the Quebecer will therefore not have the opportunity to find the enclosure in which she played her only Grand Slam final, in 2014.
Platforms for Eugenie
“Genie” has tried to hang on, in front of the 200 or so spectators seated in the stands to witness the efforts of the former tennis star.
Because if the majority of the grounds of Roehampton do not have a platform, the amateurs sitting in folding chairs or directly on the lawn, the organizers had reserved the center lined with bleachers for their former finalist.
The 29-year-old got break points at 5-4 in the first, then in the second set, to pick up the score. She succeeded in the second set, the Belgian pulled the rug out from under her by breaking it in her next turn on the serve.