{"id":922176,"date":"2026-10-06T01:30:34","date_gmt":"2026-10-06T01:30:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/922176\/"},"modified":"2026-10-06T01:30:34","modified_gmt":"2026-10-06T01:30:34","slug":"tebbutt-eugenie-in-and-milos-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/922176\/","title":{"rendered":"TEBBUTT: EUGENIE IN AND MILOS OUT"},"content":{"rendered":"

\tTEBBUTT: EUGENIE IN AND MILOS OUT<\/p>\n

\n\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\n\tMauricio Paiz<\/p>\n

\n\tEugenie Bouchard reached her second consecutive Grand Slam semifinal on Tuesday, winning a two-hour and 22-minute nail-biter with Carla Suarez Navarro 7-6(4), 2-6, 7-5.<\/p>\n

\n\tThat set up a match with Maria Sharapova in Thursday\u2019s women\u2019s final four.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhile there were times when Bouchard dominated with her hard-hitting, take-no-prisoners ground attack, there were also stretches when the Spaniard was in control, especially when she won eight of nine games from 2-all in the second set to lead 4-1 in the third.<\/p>\n

\n\tBouchard\u2019s level dipped after the first set and Suarez Navarro, with her deep topspin shots and her supremely angled cross-court backhand, was getting the better of the play.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cAt the end of the day, whether I win or I lose, I want to at least leave it all there and at least battle,\u201d Bouchard said about the being behind 5-2 in the first set and 4-1 in the third. \u201cI\u2019m proud of how I did that in both the first and third.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\n\tMauricio Paiz<\/p>\n

\n\tI was sitting with an American journalist during the first set and he raved about Bouchard\u2019s grit, tennis IQ and uncompromising commitment to going for her shots. He also marveled at how well she pivoted to rotate into her shots \u2013 and particularly how she can hit break-out ground strokes that dramatically change the linear pattern of rallies and catch her opponents off guard.<\/p>\n

\n\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\n\tMauricio Paiz<\/p>\n

\n\tHelped by a supportive crowd in Court Suzanne Lenglen, Bouchard dug in as she is so good at doing at any point in a match \u2013 \u201cI just tried to forget about what the score was or anything and just try to play the right way,\u201d she said. \u201cOnce I started to go for my shots a little bit more, it started to work. The third set was just a cool atmosphere I think for both of us. The quarters of a Slam, that\u2019s a great moment to feel the crowd presence as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tBouchard won 11 points in a row from that 4-1 deficit in the third. She has very good body language on the court. Where Suarez Navarro would walk out from a change-over late in the match and sort of mope as if she was dreading what might happen next \u2013 Bouchard always looked raring to go.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhen she finally got to match point, she double-faulted on the first one and then hit a wild backhand wide on the second. But it didn\u2019t faze her.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI didn\u2019t really worry about it\u201d Bouchard said. \u201cI didn\u2019t see it as a big deal \u2013 I just re-grouped for the next point. On the second match point, I missed a ball, but I was going for it, so I didn\u2019t worry too much. I think that was a bit the theme of the whole match \u2013 even if I was down 5-2 or 4-1 in the third\u2026not to worry too much, keep going, keep going. And it paid off in the end.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\n\tMauricio Paiz<\/p>\n

\n\tAfterward, during her on-court post-match interview with former player (now French TV commentator) Fabrice Santoro, she took control of the situation when he said he wanted a \u2018selfie\u2019 with her. Bouchard took his cellphone and coolly executed the shot herself. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tA little later, four-time Grand Slam champion Kim Clijsters was in the players area and said about Bouchard, \u201cI like her attitude, I like her game, the aggressiveness is something that I really like. She\u2019s young still, so it\u2019s going to be fun to see how she\u2019s going to react in the next couple of days. It\u2019s the first time she\u2019s in this position where she\u2019s playing in the (French Open) semis, so this is great for her to have this experience and give herself another opportunity to be in these situations. Maria wasn\u2019t playing great today, so I think if she takes her chances, and believes that she can win, she can make it really tough for her.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tClijsters lost four Grand Slam finals before she won her first \u2013 including coming out on the wrong end of a heart-breaking 1-6, 6-4, 12-10 score to Jennifer Capriati in the 2001 French Open when she was about to turn 18.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe Belgian was a popular, easy-going player, not at all like the driven individual that Bouchard is as she pursues her dream of tennis glory. Asked if she wishes she could have been as tough a competitor as Bouchard is when she started her career, Clijsters replied, \u201cI always played with emotions and that\u2019s who I am. And now that I\u2019m older, even more so I realize that it took some time to be able to put those emotions aside. You are who you are, you can\u2019t change that. I was happy that I gave myself a few more opportunities later.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThose later opportunities were the two US Opens and one Australian Open she won at age 26 and later on in her comeback after giving birth to a daughter.<\/p>\n

\n\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\n\tMauricio Paiz<\/p>\n

\n\tBouchard is 0-2 with Sharapova, including losing 6-2, 6-4 in last year\u2019s second round on the same Court Philippe Chatrier where they will meet on Thursday. In that match, Bouchard played better than the score suggests and she is now more mature by a whole year.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cShe\u2019s a great champion,\u201d Bouchard said when asked about often being compared to Sharapova, \u201cso to be seen as the next of someone who has won four Slams and has been No. 1 in the world, it\u2019s a compliment.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cBut at the same time, I\u2019m my own person and I just want to be myself on the court \u2013 try to achieve what I want to achieve and just be seen as that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\n\tMauricio Paiz<\/p>\n

\n\tAbout her game-plan, Bouchard repeated her usual mantra, \u201cI will try to attack as much as I can and play my game. That is what I try to do on the court.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThat\u2019s exactly how Sharapova plays as well \u2013 so it will be irresistible object against immoveable force.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhen she was asked if she knew Bouchard well, Sharapova said, \u201cI don\u2019t know her well personally. We did a little (photo) shoot together at the (2013) Australian Open. Other than that, that was it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tIn one way, Bouchard might have gotten a little too close to her one-time idol Sharapova at last year\u2019s US Open, even though the 6-foot-2 Russian did not play as a result of a shoulder ailment. Because Nike wanted exposure for its specially-designed Sharapova dress with an outline of the Manhattan skyline on it \u2013 Bouchard (as well as Madison Keys) got to wear it instead.<\/p>\n

\n\tThere won\u2019t be any duplication of attire on Thursday. But if there happens to be a resemblance in determination and drive, that\u2019s certainly probably not an accident.<\/p>\n

\n\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\n\tMauricio Paiz<\/p>\n

\n\t\u00a0The scoreline of Milos Raonic\u2019s quarter-final with Novak Djokovic \u2013 7-5, 7-6(4), 6-4 \u2013 is a fair representation of the match.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn the first two sets, Raonic only lost his serve once \u2013 in the last game of the opening set when Djokovic won the final two points from 30-30 with a glorious backhand down-the-line winner and a bomb backhand passing shot that forced a backhand half-volley miss wide of the sideline by Raonic.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn the second set tiebreak, Raonic was on serve at 5-4 for Djokovic when he misfired a forehand into the net, giving the Serbian world No. 2 the separation he needed to soon grab a 2-0 sets lead.<\/p>\n

\n\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\n\tMauricio Paiz<\/p>\n

\n\tRaonic got closer to Djokovic in a 6-7(5), 7-6(4), 6-3 loss in the semifinals of the Italian Open three weeks ago. \u201cI think what stood out today compared to Rome was he was playing a lot closer to the baseline,\u201d Raonic said. \u201cHe was not letting me dictate as much as I was able to in Rome.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\n\tMauricio Paiz<\/p>\n

\n\tCanadian Davis Cup captain (first to right of railing above) Martin Laurendeau summed up the quarter-final from his point of view in Court Philippe Chatrier. \u201cIt was a good match in the circumstances. The two first sets were hyper-close and Djokovic pulled off some incredible shots at the right time. With a two sets lead, Djokovic kind of loosened up a bit and took a good lead (5-1) in the third. I really liked the way Milos dug in, even though he was losing 5-1. It showed a great competitive spirit.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt\u2019s been a really good season on clay, really exceptional. He\u2019s continuing to progress and the result are there to prove it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\n\tMauricio Paiz<\/p>\n

\n\tDuring his post-match media conference, Raonic claimed to be in a bad mood \u2013 but he was actually more expansive than he had been all week. Maybe that was because the mounting pressure of being in the tournament had ended for him. \u201cI\u2019m not in a good mood, that\u2019s simply it,\u201d he said. “More than what pleases me about winning is what pisses me off about losing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tHe was expansive in describing his chances as he moves onto the grass for the tournament in Halle next week and then Wimbledon in three weeks.<\/p>\n

\n\tLast year, Raonic only won a single match on grass \u2013 losing in his opening matches in Halle (Gael Monfils) and Eastbourne (Ivan Dodig) and in the second round at Wimbledon (Igor Sijsling).<\/p>\n

\n\tHere\u2019s an exchange between a veteran Canadian tennis writer (guess who?) and Raonic during his media conference:<\/p>\n

\n\tQ. There is an old Canadian guy predicting you’re going to win Halle. What do you think about that?<\/p>\n

\n\tMILOS RAONIC:\u00a0 There is a lot more tennis to be played.<\/p>\n

\n\tQ. No, but if you keep up this level – forget about what the surface is – obviously you like your chances once you get to the grass.<\/p>\n

\n\tMILOS RAONIC:\u00a0 Yeah. I feel like I\u2019m doing a lot of things better; whereas probably in previous years I would go from on clay playing much further back, and then having to sort of quickly turn it around.\u00a0 Maybe that\u2019s why I have struggled on grass.<\/p>\n

\n\tNow I feel like I try to play as close to the baseline as possible relatively, and I think that will sort of make that transition to grass more comfortable. It\u2019s going to take me time, but I don\u2019t think anybody plays really brilliant tennis the first week of grass especially.<\/p>\n

\n\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\n\tMauricio Paiz<\/p>\n

\n\tAs much as he would have liked to have gone further at Roland Garros, in the past few weeks Raonic has made a remarkable leap in his level \u2013 the most dramatic progress in his game since he broke through and reached the round-of-16 at the 2011 Australian Open as an unknown.<\/p>\n

\n\tAs much as Bouchard as progressed and impressed, Raonic, under the microscope, has done just as well with his improvement from the baseline on both sides \u2013 and with the way he is implementing an overall more relentless attacking gamestyle that should pay big dividends \u2013 possibly in the very near future. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tNESTOR OUT \u2013 ABANDA STILL IN<\/p>\n

\n\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\n\tIt just wasn\u2019t meant to be Daniel Nestor\u2019s year at the French Open. After running off 11 match wins in a row with partner Nenad Zimonjic in Madrid, Rome and Paris, he was upset Monday in the quarter-finals by an unseeded Croat\/Romanian pair.<\/p>\n

\n\tOn Tuesday, seeded No. 5 in mixed doubles with Kristina Mladenovic, he was ousted 6-3, 1-6 [10-3] by third seedsYaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan and Bruno Soares of Brazil.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe match tiebreak went all Shvedova and Soares’ way from 3-all. Hard to believe Nestor and Mladenovic could not win one more point \u2013 with the last one being an acutely angled shot by Soares almost parallel to the net that Mladenovic chased down and whacked into the top of the net-post.<\/p>\n

\n\tNestor and the 21-year-old Frenchwoman won the Australian Open in January and will now move on to Wimbledon where they are the defending champions.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn junior girls second-round action, 17-year-old Francoise Abanda of Montreal, seeded No. 10, had little trouble beating French wild card Victoria Muntean 6-2, 6-0. She will next play unseeded Isabelle Wallace of Great Britain.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tQUOTE OF THE DAY<\/p>\n

\n\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\n\tAfter his straight-sets win over Tomas Berdych in the quarter-finals, Ernests Gulbis, who grew up in a very wealthy family in Latvia, was asked about realizing that he would be happier if he was more conscientious about his (tennis) job. Here was his answer:<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt was definitely a realization. I just thought everything is gonna come too easy for me because everything in life was coming just\u2026it was coming. I wasn\u2019t really thinking about it and not putting enough effort into it.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI was in school. I never had problems in school. Everything was coming easy \u2013 all the information. Tennis, everything was coming easy. I thought I\u2019m just gonna grind in life like this, easy without any effort, and be successful.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cAnd then…and then…shit happened.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThat got a roar of laughter in the interview room.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tPARIS POST CARD<\/p>\n

\n\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\n\tThe \u201criverains\u201d or neighbours in the affluent homes situated around Roland Garros have been obstructing approval of an expansion of the French Tennis Federation\u2019s grounds for several years. Originally announced in 2011, the plan was to be finished in 2015. Now things are progressing again \u2013 but major expansion still won\u2019t be accomplished until 2019. Above is a notice for yet more hearings \u2013 from Tuesday to Friday next week.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"TEBBUTT: EUGENIE IN AND MILOS OUT Mauricio Paiz Eugenie Bouchard reached her second consecutive Grand Slam semifinal on…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":922177,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[442],"tags":[49,48,82,593],"class_list":["post-922176","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tennis","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-sports","tag-tennis"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/922176","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=922176"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/922176\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/922177"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=922176"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=922176"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=922176"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}