The start to Genie Bouchard's US Open campaign is a rare sight. As Bouchard fought through the tournament's qualifiers, fans flocked Court 11, which is one of the venue's smaller courts, to see the Canadian earn a spot into the tournament.
Now, after three qualifying wins, Bouchard begins her journey in the main draw against France's Harmony Tan. It will be the first meeting between the two as Bouchard, who turned pro in 2009, has never faced Tan entering Tuesday's matchup.
I have been to the @usopen for 15 years and I have never seen a qualifying round fan mob scene like the one that greeted @geniebouchard! One guy told her he loved her, one gave her 🌹! pic.twitter.com/konu5IfbcP
— TennisAtlantic (@TennisAtlantic) August 23, 2018
While Bouchard made an appearance at every US Open since 2013, Tan is a newcomer to the annual tournament.
Tan secured her position in New York due to a wild card, which was given by the French Tennis Federation. The wild card marks Tan's Grand Slam singles debut after appearing at the 2017 French Open doubles draw. With two wins over top 200 opponents this year, Tan is focused on Bouchard, who is one of her highest ranked opponents she's faced at No. 137.
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Peter Polansky's journey is unimaginable in its own right.
Polansky, who's set to have his match earlier in the day, earned a Lucky Loser entry into the tournament. It marks the first time a player entered each Grand Slam in a season by way of the "Lucky Loser." The accolade is a player who loses in the qualifying round, but enters the tournament when another player is forced to withdraw.
The Canadian isn't deterred by the entry.
"I think it's actually quite an accomplishment," Polansky told Tennis World. "I'm not sure if it's gonna happen again. Just the fact getting in four times in a row as a lucky loser -- like none of the great players are gonna be able to do it because they consistently in the main draw. It is a tough thing to do -- just to go through qualies and lose every single time in the last round."
Polansky's opponent, Alexander Zverev, has struggled at the US Open since his debut in 2015. Zverev reached the second round last year, which marks his farthest finish. Polansky won the lone meeting against Zverev in 2014, 1-6 7-6(3) 6-4.