Bouchard crushed by Kuznetsova, Navratilova backs Sharapova
>> MADRID: Eugenie Bouchard’s Madrid Open campaign ended on Thursday with a whimper as she was thrashed 6-4, 6-0 by eighth seed Svetlana Kuznetsova to exit at the quarterfinal stage.
The Canadian set the tournament alight with a scintillating, three-set win over Maria Sharapova on Monday after her outspoken comments about the Russian returning f rom her 15-month doping ban, including calling her a cheater.
She then saw off German world No.2 Angelique Kerber to reach the last eight but was slapped down by Russian Kuznetsova, who only ceded one break point in the entire match, which she saved.
The eighth seed t hen took Bouchard apart in the second set, breaking her four times before serving out the match.
Kuznetsova was scheduled to face Kristina Mladenovic of France in the last four early this morning (Thai time), with Anastasija Sevastova of Latvia meeting Romanian third seed Simona Halep in the other semi-final.
Meanwhile, former world No.1 Martina Navratilova has urged players to stop focusing on Sharapova.
Sharapova’s comeback has garnered widespread interest with current and former players offering their opinions on the 30-year-old, including men’s No.1 Andy Murray and Bouchard.
Bouchard said that she felt partly inspired to win the match against the five-time Grand Slam champion after receiving private messages of support from “people in the tennis world”.
“I think it’s time for the players to lay off Maria. She made a huge mistake, paid dearly for it, ‘done the time’ and now let’s play ball,” Navratilova, who won 18 Grand Slams during a glittering career, tweeted on her verified account.