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Eugenie Bouchard gets set for spotlight at Rogers Cup

Eugenie Bouchard gets set for spotlight at Rogers Cup

Eugenie Bouchard insists she just wants to go out and enjoy herself as she prepares for her first singles match at the 2013 Rogers Cup in Toronto.

How much fun she actually has will depend a lot on how she deals with more and more attention from fans and the media. As Eh Game writer Chris Zelkovich pointed out in his tournament preview:

"...there is hope in 19-year-old Eugenie Bouchard, who looked as composed as a 30-year-old at Wimbledon. Bouchard is part of a new wave in Canadian tennis, with some impressive juniors and rookie pros giving tennis fans here more hope than they've had in decades."

Her image looms large outside of the Rexall Centre on the campus of York University, where a massive banner with her name and likeness stretches across the concrete on the east facing facade. Other such promotional posters that line the exterior of the complex include legend Monica Seles, Bouchard's partner in Monday's annual opening night exhibition match, as well the superstar Williams sisters, who they faced at Centre Court.

The hype over Bouchard, in large part, is due to her standout performance just over a month ago at Wimbledon where she bowed out in the third round after upsetting Ana Ivanovic who was No. 12 in the world at the time. "Genie", as she is also known, won the girls' singles championship at the fabled tennis club one year earlier.

Bouchard will take to the court in singles action on Tuesday night as she faces Russian Alisa Kleybanova. The spotlight will be even greater on the native of Westmount, Que., as some notable stars will miss the tournament due to injury. On Sunday, No. 2 Victoria Azarenka (lower back) pulled out, a week earlier, third-ranked Maria Sharapova (hip) had to cancel. On Monday, Britain's Laura Robson was added to the list with a wrist injury.

"The Canadian people support our own, so of course if she does well it would be great for the tournament and tennis in Canada," tournament director Karl Hale said of Bouchard who is currently the highest ranked Canadian woman in the world.

Tennis journalist Matt Cronin feels that playing in front of fans in her home country will be a big test. "I want to see how she responds at home," Cronin said. "I am walking up to here and I see the No. 62 ranked player in the world has a gigantic sign over the stadium and I think, my goodness, that's pressure!....Now she is the face of Canadian tennis."

Whether she is the next big thing remains to be seen, for now Bouchard is taking it all in stride. "We only have one big tournament a year really, so I try to enjoy it as much as possible," Bouchard said. "People know who I am a bit more now, so it's always fun playing here in front of the home crowd because I get a lot of support."