Eugenie Bouchard will be playing in the main draw of the 2023 Madrid Open and it will be her first at La Caja Magica in six years.
The 29-year-old Canadian played the Madrid Open only four times in her career. The first three appearances were marked by a first-round exit, but when Bouchard played the last time at the WTA 1000 tournament in the Spanish capital, she made it all the way to the quarterfinals.
Six years later, Bouchard, who is currently ranked 285th in the WTA Rankings, had to fight her way into the main draw of the tournament through the qualifying. In the first round of the qualifying, the Canadian successfully navigated a clash with injured Sara Sorribes Tormo. In the final round, she took on Elizabeth Mandlik, who was also dominant in her first match.
The two never met before on the WTA Tour as she took it to the court to fight for the main draw spot. Bouchard had a better start into the match, breaking her opponent's serve already in the second game, but the response from Mandlik came very quickly.
And it wasn't just a one-break response, the American added another one to go into the lead in the opening set. But Bouchard then started a streak of her own, winning six consecutive games and taking the first set 6-3.
Moreover, thanks to the good streak she also built a 2-0 lead in the second set that she made only bigger when she broke her opponent's serve in the fifth game to lead already 4-1.
Although, Mandlik managed to get one break back, she never managed to get into the match again as the 2014 Wimbledon finalist stopped her comeback by breaking again and winning the match 6-3, 6-2 to book her spot in the 2023 Madrid Open main draw.
Now, Bouchard will need to wait to find out who her first-round opponent will be. The options range from the 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu, to a spot against another qualifier.
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