'Scared' supporters cheer Eugenie

MADRID - Eugenie Bouchard claims several other players on the WTA Tour share her outspoken views on Maria Sharapova's return from an 15-month doping ban, but are too "scared" to speak out.

Bouchard beat Sharapova for the first time in five meetings, 7-5, 2-6, 6-4 in the second round of the Madrid Open on Monday a week after labeling the Russian "a cheater".

Bouchard, 23, said the five-time Grand Slam winner was her idol growing up, but her admiration vanished when Sharapova tested positive for the banned substance meldonium at the 2016 Australian Open, which led to a 15-month suspension.

The Canadian also claimed Sharapova should have been banned for life rather than welcomed back with a series of wild cards for big events.

Monday's match was the most eagerly anticipated when the draw was made after Bouchard's comments to Turkish media in April, when she said Sharapova was a "cheater" and should not have been allowed to compete again following her positive test.

Bouchard stood by her comments about Sharapova on arriving in the Spanish capital and after her victory the Canadian said recent events had made her more fired up for the game.

"I definitely had some extra motivation going into today," said Bouchard.

"I was actually quite inspired before the match because I had a lot of players coming up to me privately to wish me good luck.

"Players I don't normally speak to went out of their way to talk to me, and I've been getting a lot of texts from people in the tennis world that were rooting for me.

"I wanted to do it for myself, but also all those people.

"It showed me that most people share my opinion, and they were just maybe scared to speak out. But privately I've gotten a lot of support, so I was inspired and motivated to play."

The two exchanged a frosty handshake at the end of a thrilling nearly three-hour long encounter as Bouchard registered just her second WTA Tour win since the Australian Open in January.

"She said: 'Well played,'" Bouchard replied when asked what words were exchanged at the net.

"I think she's been playing really well in her so-called comeback, if you want to call it that."

Sharapova said she was "above" responding to Bouchard's jibes when reaching the semifinals in her first tournament since her ban expired amid a media circus in Stuttgart last week.

And she claimed the extra attention caused by the bad blood between her and Bouchard had not affected her performance.

"I've been part of this game for many years," said Sharapova.

"I know what the drill is. I know the excitement. I know there's always a lot of talk and buzz, matchups, rivalries. It's all part of the game."

Sharapova insisted there was no extra disappointment on her part for having lost to Bouchard, despite vowing before the match to let her tennis do her talking.

And she believes she will once again rise to the top of the women's game to add to her five Grand Slam titles.

"I think I would be worried about myself if I sat here and said I'm pretty happy with losing a match, no matter who I face, no matter what round it is, whether it's the first round or the final of a Grand Slam," Sharapova said.

"I'm a big competitor. What you work for so many hours every single day is to be on the winning end of matches.

"Today was just not that day. Of course, I'm disappointed. But that's what's going to make me a better player. That's what's going to win me more tournaments and more Grand Slams."

Lives up to hype

The enthralling contest certainly lived up to the hype.

Bouchard, ranked 60th in the world, entered Madrid after five straight losses in tour-level opening round matches and her three-set first-round win over Alize Cornet was her first since the Australian Open in January.

But the Canadian's extra determination to beat Sharapova was on display as she managed to win a grueling 70-minute first set against the 30-year-old Russian by clinching the 12th game.

Sharapova was given a pep-talk by coach Sven Groeneveld at 2-1 down in the second and roared back to win four straight games to wrap up the set.

But the Russian played too many risky shots in the decider and, after saving three break points in two consecutive service games, she was broken in the seventh game.

Sharapova broke back immediately but then dropped another service game to allow Bouchard to serve out for the match.

"It was a very tough match, not only physically and tennis-wise, but also mentally and emotionally," Bouchard added.

"Each point was a battle from the first point. It was really a fight. I'm just proud that I came out stronger in the end and held it together in the third set."

Afp - Reuters

Canada's Eugenie Bouchard celebrates her second-round victory over Russia's Maria Sharapova at the Madrid Open on Monday. Sergio Perez / Reuters