Canada's Eugenie Bouchard ousted in return to singles competition in Vancouver
Westmount, Que., native loses in straight sets after 17-month layoff recovering from shoulder surgery
Back in the glory days of Genie's Army, and being known more for her tennis skills than social media selfies or hanging with celebrities, a seemingly invincible Eugenie Bouchard was asked what superpower she'd wish for if she could have it.
Her answer was to be invisible.
Well, if you're a fan of the Westmount, Que., native, you're unhappy that wish sort of materialized during the first round of women's singles at the Odlam Brown VanOpen on Tuesday where Bouchard was eliminated in 70 tidy minutes by Arianne Hartono of the Netherlands 6-2, 6-2.
A former world No. 5, Bouchard was playing singles for the first time since losing in the first round of a tournament in Mexico in March 2021.
Bouchard became the first Canadian to advance to the singles final at a Grand Slam in 2014 when she lost in the final at Wimbledon to Petra Kvitova of Czechia, the country commonly known as the Czech Republic.
Since then, Bouchard has battled numerous injuries, including a concussion after a fall in a trainer's room at the U.S. Open in September of 2015.
Bouchard turns attention to doubles
In other women's singles action of note, Priscilla Hon of Australia defeated Marina Stakusic of Montreal 6-3, 6-3.
Later Monday, Rebecca Marino of Vancouver, ranked sixth in the tournament at Hollyburn Country Club in West Vancouver, will play Emma Navarro of New York, while on the men's side, Vasek Pospisil of Vancouver will play against Felipe Meligeni Rodrigues Alves of Brazil.
