MADRID — Maria Sharapova had no shortage of critics on the WTA Tour during her recent 15-month suspension. But no one has been louder or more forceful than Eugenie Bouchard, who called Sharapova “a cheater” and criticized the tour for shortening what was originally a two-year suspension.
On Monday night, Bouchard got a chance to let her racket do the talking. In a tense and exciting match that lasted nearly three hours, Bouchard defeated Sharapova for the first time, 7-5, 2-6, 6-4, in the second round of the Madrid Open.
The match served as a climax of the players’ recent off-court conflict.