Genie Bouchard gets revenge, defeats 'cheater' Sharapova at Madrid Open

May 9 2017, 4:10 am

You knew this match meant a little bit extra for Genie Bouchard.

Less than two weeks after blasting Maria Sharapova publicly, Bouchard defeated her former tennis hero in three sets (7-5, 2-6, 6-4) in the second round of the Madrid Open on Monday.

Bouchard was critical of Sharapova, calling her a cheater as she returned from a 15-month ban for taking a banned substance.

“I don’t think that’s right,” Bouchard said of Sharapova’s return in an interview with TRT World on April 25. “She’s a cheater. I don’t think a cheater in any sport should be allowed to play that sport again. It’s so unfair to all the other players who do it the right way.”

Despite the protests of many, Bouchard included, Sharapova was indeed granted a wild card entry into the Madrid Open rather than being forced to earn her way in.

That’s why bouncing her out in the second round was extra sweet for the Montreal tennis star.

“I definitely had some extra motivation going into today,” Bouchard told reporters in Madrid. “I was actually quite inspired before the match because I had a lot of players coming up to me privately wishing me good luck, players I don’t normally speak to, getting a lot of texts from people in the tennis world that were just rooting for me. So I wanted to do it for myself, but also all these people. I really felt support.”

Bouchard will face top seed Angelique Kerber in the third round in Madrid, a tune-up tournament for the French Open that begins in two weeks.

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