Heated scenes during US Open qualifying as Dayana Yastremska refuses to shake Eugenie Bouchard's hand, months after Canadian's 'doper' dig

On Thursday, August 24, Dayana Yastremska was up against Eugenie Bouchard in the qualifying stages of the 2023 US Open. After winning the match, Yastremska decided not to shake hands with Bouchard, seemingly because of the latter's dig at the Ukrainian during this year's Madrid Open.

Yastremska ended Bouchard's US Open main draw qualification hopes by winning the match 6-1, 4-6, 6-4. Yastremska looked eager for revenge, especially in the first set, given what happened in their Madrid Open match a few months ago.

In the first round at Madrid, Bouchard rallied from a set down to win 6-7(6), 6-2, 6-2. After the match, the Canadian took to social media to seemingly target Yastremska, who was temporarily banned in 2021 after testing positive for a prohibited substance called mesterolone.

Having also beaten Maria Sharapova at the 2017 Madrid Open, Bouchard commented on deriving satisfaction from beating players banned for doping in the past.

"There's something about playing dopers in Madrid," Bouchard wrote on Twitter.

Yastremska was eventually proven not guilty and her suspension was revoked later that year, with ITF accepting that the tests recorded previously were not perfect.

Although Bouchard apologized and expressed regret for her comments soon after, Yastremska opted to not shake hands with her at the net after their US Open qualifier.

Yastremska's win means that Bouchard's wait for appearing in the main draw of the US Open wil be extended to at least five years. The last time she played in the main draw was in 2019, when she suffered a 6-3, 6-3 defeat to Anastasija Sevastova in the first round.

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Eugenie Bouchard apologized for 'doper' remarks during Madrid Open

Eugenie Bouchard in action at the Madrid Open

Eugenie Bouchard eventually apologized for the comments she made during the Madrid Open, claiming they were unnecessary and a lapse of judgment on her part.

"I want to apologize for my tweet yesterday. It was a lapse in judgment, and unnecessary. Though I’ve always championed fair play, I didn’t have all my facts in order and certainly didn’t mean to cause harm. I’m going to continue to work on myself going forward, both on and off the court," she tweeted.

Eugenie Bouchard has won only two out of four matches so far this season, reaching the second round at the Madrid Open and the Copa Colsanitas.

Before the US Open qualifiers, the 29-year-old was beaten in the opening round of the qualifying tournament of the Canadian Open in Montreal. She was also unable to qualify for the main draw of Wimbledon.