Eugenie Bouchard will play Dayana Yastremska in the US Open qualifying on Thursday - the first collision since the Canadian's controversial doping tweet.
Four months ago, Bouchard defeated Yastremska in their only head-to-head meeting on the WTA Tour in the first round of the 2023 Madrid Open, fighting back from a set down to win 6-7, 6-2, 6-2. It was her first main draw win at the event since 2017 when she defeated Maria Sharapova en route to the quarterfinals.
Bouchard later went on Twitter (now X), and posted an unprovoked tweet that read: "There's something about playing dopers in Madrid," that insinuated Yastremska and Sharapova's past of breaching doping regulations.
Yastremska had in January 2021 tested positive for a banned substance before she was cleared of any wrongdoing later that year by the ITF for lack of fault on her part. Meanwhile, Sharapova had served a 15-month suspension when she faced Bouchard in Madrid six years ago.
Bouchard's tweet generated divisive opinions among fans and she subsequently deleted it after causing a huge public uproar. A day later, the 29-year-old apologized for what she called a 'lapse in judgment' and admitted her actions were totally uncalled for.
While Bouchard has been vocal in her disapproval of players breaching anti-doping regulations, she added that she didn't mean to cause any harm. Yastremska has never commented on the incident and that can only add to the intrigue in this matchup. It will also be interesting to see if there'll be a post-match handshake between them.
This time, the stakes are a little higher, as both players aim to qualify for a Grand Slam main draw. In Bouchard's case, she has never made it to the main draw of a major since 2020 Roland Garros, while Yastremska only missed out on this year's Wimbledon, but played in Melbourne and Paris.
The winner of the clash on Thursday will still have one more round to navigate in order to reach the 2023 US Open main draw which begins on Monday, August 28th.
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