‘Geniepova’ lock horns again
Strong-minded and individual as they are, neither eugenie Bouchard nor maria Sharapova particularly enjoy the comparisons that are inevitably made between them. that does not stop them being paired up in the term ‘geniepova’, and their careers will converge further after they set up a meeting in the quarter-final of the Australian open. their latest Aencounter comes after the 20-year-old Canadian defeated romania’s irina-Camelia Begu 6-1, 5-7, 6-2 while the russian made impressively short work of Shuai Peng, winning 6-3, 6-0. it will be a repeat of last year’s French open quarterfinal, when Sharapova won 6-2 in a deciding set. So far there are no signs of Bouchard’s breakthrough season being an aberration, and she will be even more of a threat this time. Having made two grand Slam semis and the Wimbledon final last year there is the potential for 2015 to be difficult for the Canadian, although she is handling the pressure admirably so far. Leaving aside the obvious physical comparisons and the fact that they are both charismatic with a fondness for the limelight, the most interesting thing is that, temperamentally, they are both as tough as tungsten. neither makes any pretence, for example, of wanting to make friends in the women’s locker room, which is said to be going through one of the more welcoming phases in its history. ‘i personally don’t know genie very well,’ acknowledged Sharapova, when asked if she saw anything of herself in her next opponent. ‘As a tennis player she’s a big competitor. She’s an aggressive player who likes to take the ball early and dictate points. From that perspective, definitely.’ Sharapova recalls the time when she was emerging and people inevitably searched for equivalents. ‘i was compared to (Anna) Kournikova and still that name comes up in articles,’ said the 27-year-old. ‘that’s part of the game, part of the business, it’s understandable. When i was a teenager i didn’t want to be the next anyone, i wanted to be the next maria Sharapova, and that’s how i’ve been through my whole career.’ the two of them will agree about that, even if there will not be any Serena Williams/ Caroline Wozniacki-type solidarity between them. But Sharapova will need to get used to Bouchard, who is already signalling that she will be around for the long haul.