A rising tennis star in Canada — Eugenie Bouchard is looking for a Grand Slam win at the US Open

The World
Canada's Eugenie Bouchard

Eugenie Bouchard is hoping for a big win at this year’s US Open.

The Canadian player is just 20, but she’s been touted as being the one to watch by tennis greats like Martina Navratilova and Chris EvertShe's currently the No. 8 seed in the world and she’s hoping to win her first Grand Slam at the US Open in Flushing Meadows, New York.

Bouchard came close in July when she made it to the Wimbledon women’s final. But in the championship match, she lost in straight sets to Petra Kvitova.

Even without a Grand Slam victory, the young player is already making a name for herself.

“She’s a marketing dream. She’s blond-haired and blue-eyed and she’s a very good-looking girl. And she doesn’t grunt [on the court]. She's nice and quiet,” says Yahoo sports correspondent Stephanie Myles.

Bouchard’s current sponsors include Coca-Cola Canada, sportswear giant Nike and French tennis firm Babolat.

And she’s developed a strong fan base — both inside Canada and beyond.

A crew of young Australian fans who chanted for Bouchard at the Australian Open in January now travel around the globe to see her play. They call themselves the “Genie Army”.

In Canada, Bouchard is raising the profile of tennis. “It’s unusual for Canada, in the last 20 or so years, to have a big deal — a female athlete in an individual sport,” Myles says.

Bouchard's first round opponent at the US Open will be Olga Govortsova of Belarus.

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