I want to apologize for my tweet yesterday. It was a lapse in judgment, and unnecessary. Though I’ve always championed fair play, I didn’t have all my facts in order and certainly didn’t mean to cause harm. I’m going to continue to work on myself going forward, both on and off…
Eugenie Bouchard to face Dayana Yastremska in US Open qualifying round for first time since doping comment controversy
Tennis NewsWednesday, 23 August 2023 at 11:45
Eugenie Bouchard is set to face Dayana Yastremska in the 2nd round of qualifying at the US Open for the first time since the former's doping comment about the Ukrainian player caused controversy.
Former world No. 5 Bouchard comfortably defeated American qualifying wildcard Katherine Hui 6-2, 6-3 in the first round of qualifying for the last Grand Slam of the year at Flushing Meadows.
Meanwhile, former world No. 21 Yastremska also secured a healthy victory of 6-3, 6-2 over Heather Watson in order to progress to the 2nd round. However, by facing each other, Bouchard and Yastremska will be reminded of the controversy around their last meeting.
Backlash for Bouchard over doping remark
The 2014 Wimbledon finalist last faced Yastremska in the opening round of the Madrid Open in April. The latter won the tiebreak in the first set, but Bouchard came back to win the match 6-7(6), 6-2, 6-2.
This was her first victory at the WTA 1000 tournament since 2017, where Bouchard reached the quarter-finals of the event and defeated tennis star Maria Sharapova in the second round. At the time, the Russian was on a comeback tour after her doping suspension, which she received for testing positive for the then-newly banned substance meldonium at the 2016 Australian Open.
Meanwhile, Yastremska tested positive for the banned substance mesterolone in 2021 and was subsequently given a provisional suspension. However, this was lifted after the ITF ruled that she bore no fault for the positive test.
Nevertheless, Bouchard made a reference to both doping scandals in a tweet after her victory against Yastremska in April.
"There's something about playing dopers in Madrid," she wrote.
However, the Canadian received immense backlash on social media for calling her opponent a 'doper' when the 23-year-old had not been found at fault.
Bouchard has since deleted the tweet and posted an apology where she called the remark 'a lapse in judgement.'
"I want to apologize for my tweet yesterday. It was a lapse in judgment, and unnecessary. Though I’ve always championed fair play, I didn’t have all my facts in order and certainly didn’t mean to cause harm. I’m going to continue to work on myself going forward, both on and off the court," she wrote.
The two women will now have to put the past behind them as they play for a place in the main draw of the 2023 US Open.
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