Eugenie Bouchard Reaches the Australian Open Semifinals

With her win in the 2014 Australian Open quarterfinals, Genie Bouchard matched the best-ever performance by a Canadian singles tennis player in a major by advancing into the semi-finals – a feat only accomplished once before way back at the 1984 U.S. Open by Carling Bassett. It was an incredibly proud moment for Canadian tennis fans and Canada in general. In a hockey-mad nation, having a top player in another sport only adds to Canada’s reputation for its diversity on the world stage.

When Genie Bouchard raised her arms in victory (the only time that she showed any emotion on court), the fans of Canadian tennis who have pushed and pulled for every Canadian singles tennis player for 30 years collectively jumped up and raised their arms in victory with her. It had been a long wait. From Carling Bassett, to Helen Kelesi, to Patricia Hy, to Aleksandra Wozniak, Genie Bouchard finally broke through the ceiling. She is a star in the making.

While Canadian tennis fans continue to cheer on Milos Raonic and his tactical, progressive, painstaking climb up into the almost seemingly impenetrable upper echelon of men’s pro tennis, and Vasek Pospisil’s exciting climb up the ladder behind him, this win by Genie Bouchard instantly becomes a touchstone. While Raonic has pro tour wins under his belt which has helped him in his climb up the rankings, this win and placement by Bouchard is equally important. This history-tying win by Bouchard is covered relentlessly by the media, which instantly raises the profile of Canadian tennis. Success in Grand Slam tennis is the highest achievement a pro tennis player can achieve. That Bouchard has made it as far as she has is not only a big deal – it’s the biggest deal.

Sitting and watching tennis for 30 years and cheering on the Canadians, it has been frustrating, elating, promising and disappointing. Milos Raonic began the new era of tennis in Canada in 2011. Since then, it has been a steady and rumbling noise of success after success. Enjoy this because we’re at the start of THE golden age of Canadian tennis. The best is yet to come.