Eugenie Bouchard was in trouble. It was the third and final set of the French Open quarter-final and the young Canadian could not find her length. Everything she hit was going out. Down 4-1, she was unravelling.
It was at that moment, when nothing seemed to be going right for a 20-year-old on one of the biggest stages of the sport, when Bouchard suddenly came alive. She rattled off 12 straight points to tie things up 4-4 and she eventually cruised to a 7-6 (7-4), 2-6, 7-5 win against 15th-ranked Carla Suarez Navarro.
Just like that, it was over.
The ability to flip a switch and take over a match much like Serena Williams would is what has tennis fans so excited about Bouchard, who reached her second Grand Slam semi-final of the season. It's why they're calling the Montreal native not just the next best thing in Canadian tennis, but the entire sport.
'She was amazingly aggressive,' said tennis commentator and former world No. 1 Tracy Austin, who was watching Tuesday's match from her home in California. 'She struggled, but then 'boom' she comes right back and rips a backhand up the line on the next point. She enjoys the challenge and thrives under those moments.
'It bodes well for the future.'
The conversation is changing again. It used to be that the question everyone asked in regards to Canadian tennis was whether this country would produce a top-20 player. Then the hard-hitting Milos Raonic arrived and the question became whether he would reach the top-10. And now, with Raonic ranked ninth in the world and Bouchard at 16th and climbing fast, the question is how good can this get?
Will a Canadian reach No. 1? Will he or she win a Grand Slam? Will they win more than one?
'Everyone's asking me the same question and I tell them the same thing: the best has yet to come,' said Karl Hale, the tournament director for the Rogers Cup. 'Both of these players will win a Grand Slam. Last year it was if they would win. Now it's a matter of when they will win.'
The answer to that question could come as early as this weekend. Bouchard will play world No. 7 Maria Sharapova on Thursday for a chance to play in her first Grand Slam final. And While Raonic lost 7-5, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 to world No. 2 Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals on Tuesday, the score illustrated just how much the gap is closing between the 23-year-old Thornhill, Ont., native and the best in the world.
'I think she learned to go in the biggest tournaments in the world, where there's a lot of attention, when there's a little bit of hype and buildup as you go further into the rounds,' said Canada's Fed Cup captain Sylvain Bruneau. 'I think she has experience under her belt and it's going to be a difference.'
Ahead of their match on Tuesday, Djokovic told reporters, 'Milos is playing the tennis of his life' and added his was 'one of the best serves in the world.' Sharapova, meanwhile, praised Bouchard's desire to be the best: 'That's why [she is] in these stages of the tournament.'
The WTA should be jumping up and down, because they have this young lady coming up that has such tremendous star power
In other words, it's not just Canadians who are paying attention. The rest of the world is also taking notice.
'I can understand why Canadians are so excited about it,' said Austin. 'But I think tennis, in general, is excited about it as well. It's international. I was just thinking that the WTA should be jumping up and down, because they have this young lady coming up that has such tremendous star power.'
Both Raonic and Bouchard have the potential to win a Grand Slam in their career. But of the two, Bouchard seems to have the best chance of reaching the No. 1 ranking simply because the women's game is in a transition period. Serena Williams, who lost in the second round at the French Open, is 32 years old and in the twilight of her career; Sharapova, who has won two Grand Slams in the last seven years, is always struggling to stay healthy. After that, the tour is a mixed bag of one-hit wonders and surface specialists.
There is an opening for someone young to break through and take over. And Bouchard, who won her first tournament last month in Germany and reached the Australian Open semi-final in January, seems primed to take advantage of that opportunity.
'She has no fear. And that's why I think she can be a No. 1 player,' said Hale. 'People in the music industry always talk about the It Factor. Eugenie has that. I think she can be No. 1. Worst-case scenario is she's in the top-5.'
Raonic has a much tougher challenge. While Roger Federer appears to be in the downswing of his career, the top-2 is still dominated by Rafael Nadal and Djokovic - generational players who have a combined 7-0 record against Raonic. Still, Raonic's serve can be an X-factor and at 23 years old, he is still improving the other parts of his game.
'It's a really good thing for Canada to have these two stars emerging at the same time, because they're fighting for the same thing,' said Hale. 'They want to be the star of Canada. Hopefully, they'll keep pushing each other to the top.'
'I think there's room for more than one big star,' said Austin. 'Why pick one?'
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