It only took six match points and just over an hour and 34 minutes – not to mention a short 130 years – but Canada finally has earned a spot in the women’s singles final of Wimbledon.
20-year-old Westmount, Quebec-native Eugenie Bouchard defeated World No. 3 Romania’s Simona Halep 7-6 (5), 6-2 in the semifinals on Thurs. July 3 in London. She is set to face sixth-seeded Petra Kvitova on Saturday, after she defeated fellow Czech left-hander Lucie Safarova 7-6 (6), 6-1 in their match earlier in the day. The 24-year-old Kvitova previously won Wimbledon three years ago.
It was third time lucky for Bouchard, who had lost both previous semifinals in Grand Slam tournaments this year. However, she has not dropped a set in six matches so far in this tournament.
“It’s not like a surprise to me – I expect good results like this,” Bouchard said. “So for me, I was like, ‘OK good. It’s a step in the right direction.’ I get to play in the final and I still have another match so it’s not a full celebration yet.”
Fellow Canadian, Milos Raonic, of Thornhill, Ont., will face Switzerland’s Roger Federer in their semifinal match on Friday. Raonic has never beaten the nine-time semifinalist and seven-time champion, but that is not what will be on his mind.
“I’m going to step out there and I’m not playing the seven-time Wimbledon champion. I’m not playing a 32-year-old man. I’m not playing a father of two sets of twins, which is a very low possibility I bet to do,” he grinned.
“I’m playing a guy that is standing in my way of what I want to achieve, and I’ve got to focus on everything that’s there, on the situation, how best to deal with it to give myself the best possibilities to achieve what I want.”
Canadians have been the talk-of-the-town at Wimbledon, with fans coming from all over, including actor Jim Parsons, known for his role on The Big Bang Theory, who has been a faithful Bouchard supporter from the stands.
My most positive supporter 🙂 #JimParsons pic.twitter.com/02cXp1BadQ
— Eugenie Bouchard (@geniebouchard) June 26, 2014
Featured Image: Tatyana Zenkovich | EPA