MONTREAL — At Tennis Canada headquarters in Montreal, there was a lot of early celebrating and nail biting Thursday morning.
Early in her semi-final match against Maria Sharapova, 20-year-old Westmount native Eugenie Bouchard was on her game.
She won the first set 6-4, but then the nerves kicked in.
The Russian star came back to win the match in three sets.
READ MORE: Canada’s Bouchard loses to Sharapova in French Open semifinal
But the loss feels like a win for the folks at Tennis Canada.
Bouchard’s recent success has given a boost to ticket sales for the upcoming Rogers Cup tennis tournament in Montreal.
“The phones have been ringing like crazy upstairs,” said Paola Toribio, director of ticketing at Tennis Canada.
“People are buying tickets, they want to see Genie. She’s a star.”
Bouchard has reached the semi-finals of two Grand Slam tournaments this year: the Australian Open in January and the French Open on Thursday.
Officials at Tennis Canada believe Bouchard is a champion in the making.
“She presents herself so well,” said Louis-Philippe Dorais, communications director at Tennis Canada.
“She has a great personality and great mental strength. It’s taken her all the way to the Grand Slam.”
In Westmount, Bouchard’s hometown, plans are in the works to have a special celebration this summer to honour the tennis phenomenon.
The ceremony is expected to take place near the tennis courts at King George Park, where Bouchard trained as a child.
“The mayor contacted me this morning, he and city council are just waiting for her to come back so we can celebrate her accomplishments,” said Bruce Stacey from the City of Westmount.
“We can’t wait for that day.”
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