“She’s just been an inspiration” – Victoria Mboko touched by Eugenie Bouchard’s vocal support during fairytale Canadian Open run

Victoria Mboko recently reflected on Eugenie Bouchard’s impact on Canadian tennis, calling her an inspiration. Mboko is enjoying an impressive run at the National Bank Open, advancing to the semifinals.

The Canadian sensation defeated Spain’s Jessica Bouzas 6-4, 6-2 in the quarterfinals on Monday night at the Centre Court. With this feat, she is now the youngest semifinalist at the WTA 1000 in Canada, since Belinda Bencic won the title in Toronto in 2015. As the 18-year-old clinched her first career WTA Tour semifinal spot, the former World No.5 Bouchard hailed praises for her teammate.

She shared a picture of a screen displaying Canadian teenage sensations, which included herself, Bianca Andreescu, Leylah Fernandez, and Mboko. Tagging Mboko, she wrote:

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"Again!!!!!!!"

In a press conference following her advance to the semifinal round, Mboko reflected on Bouchard's praise and highlighted the impact of the latter on Canadian tennis.

"Well, I haven't really watched Genie play a lot, but you know, I feel like she was kind of the first Canadian woman to kind of set a lot of milestones for Canadian tennis," Mboko said. "So I think she's just been an inspiration for a lot of young girls like me. Yeah, I mean, I feel like our game styles could be also pretty different. That's all I can really say."

Mboko reached the quarterfinal round after besting No. 1 seed Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-4 in just 62 minutes in the round of 16.

"Perfect ending for me" - Eugenie Bouchard shares emotional message after her last match as a WTA professional

Eugenie Bouchard delivered an emotional speech as she played her last singles match as a WTA professional on Monday in Montreal. Her professional tennis career concluded after her second round against No. 17 seed Belinda Bencic. Having been born and raised in Montreal, concluding her career there felt like a meaningful ending.

"It was such a special night and a special week in general here in Montreal," Bouchard said. "I'm glad I was able to play some decent tennis on the court and just absorb all the special emotional moments with the fans, with my family and friends who are here. It's just kind of a perfect ending for me."

"I've always had a feeling I would end my career here," Bouchard added. "Montreal is where I was born and raised, so it just feels right. Yeah, just an emotional moment. I think I just wanted a moment like this because my career kind of deserved a moment like this is what I felt like. I really think I got it tonight, and I'm so grateful for that."

Eugenie Bouchard became the first Canadian to reach a Grand Slam singles final at Wimbledon.

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About the author

Janhavi Shinde

Janhavi is a Sports Management graduate working as a US Olympics journalist at Sportskeeda. She emphasizes meticulous research and fact-checking before creating content, relying on multiple sources including social media platforms like Instagram and Twitter, as well as various sports publications.

She has competed in the 10m Air Rifle Shooting event at the national level alongside renowned athletes such as Anjali Bhagwat, Apurvi Chandela, and Anjum Moudgil, which further fueled her passion for the sport.

Abhinav Bindra is her favorite Olympian, and she particularly cherishes his and Neeraj Chopra's gold medal victories as they revolutionized Indian athletes' mindset towards achieving sporting excellence.

If given the opportunity to introduce a new sport to the Olympics, she would choose American Football for its widespread appeal and intense competition. Apart from reporting on the latest news in the world of Olympics, she likes to immerse herself in reading, painting, and traveling.

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