Eugenie Bouchard has made it into the French Open semifinals after beating Carla Suarez Navarro on Tuesday.
Bouchard of Canada, ranked No. 18, beat No. 14 Navarro of Spain in three sets (7-6, 2-6, 7-5).
Bouchard was down in both the first and third sets before fighting back.
“That’s what I try to do on the court,” she said at a post-game press conference. “At the end of the day whether I win or lose I want to leave it all out there and try my best and battle.”
“I’m just proud of the way that I stayed in there,” she added.
“I tried to forget about what the score was, and play the right way.”
She noted that the crowd was supportive of her, and that the third set was intense for both players.
Bouchard will face Russia’s Maria Sharapova in the semifinals. Sharapova is in the semifinals for the fourth straight year.
She lost in the semifinals at Roland Garros in 2011, then won the title a year later to complete a career Grand Slam. She lost in last year’s final to Serena Williams.
“It was so tough losing in the final last year, being the defending champion,” Sharapova said. “This year, to come back, I have the extra motivation to go further, and to be back on (this) stage is a really nice feeling.”
Russia’s Maria Sharapova winning the quarterfinal match of the French Open tennis tournament against Spain’s Garbine Muguruza at the Roland Garros stadium, in Paris, France, Tuesday, June 3, 2014. Sharapova won in three sets 1-6, 7-5, 6-1. (AP Photo/Michel Spingler)
Bouchard is playing in only her fifth Grand Slam tournament, but she is already into her second major semifinal. She also reached the last four at the Australian Open in January.
“The younger generation is ambitious,” said Sharapova, who beat Bouchard in the second round at the French Open last year. “That’s why they are in these stages of the tournament.”
