Maria Sharapova matches are drawing quite a bit of attention among WTA colleagues.
After Genie Bouchard battled past Sharapova in a three-set thriller in Madrid, the former Wimbledon finalist revealed she was inspired by the text messages of support she received from players eager to see her beat Sharapova.
Turns out, that wasn't the first texting show of support.
Halep: I Didn't Wish Bouchard Luck
Kristina Mladenovic said she also received "a lot" of text messages from fellow players prior to her 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 semifinal victory over Sharapova in the Stuttgart semifinals.
"I did receive a lot of messages before my match against Maria in Stuttgart and also afterwards," Mladenovic told the media in Madrid. "In Stuttgart, it was semifinals, the locker room was quite empty, so I didn't speak to anyone."
The 23-year-old Frenchwoman, like Bouchard, branded Sharapova "a cheater" after the former world No. 1 was hit with a 15-month doping ban for testing positive for the banned substance meldonium at the 2016 Australian Open.
“All the other players are saying she’s a cheater,” Mladenovic told the French publication Le Parisien last spring. “You sure doubt and think that she didn’t deserve all she won until now. That’s dreadful, but it’s good that it’s finally out.”
Mladenovic said she did not speak to Bouchard before her Madrid match with Sharapova, but watched the end on television.
"Here, of course I watched their match," Mladenovic said. "I was finishing mine. I saw the last couple games on TV. I mean, this year, I'm in the beautiful locker room upstairs, in the top 16, Genie's not. I didn't see her."
Seeking her second title of the year, Mladenovic defeated Romanian wild card Sorana Cirstea, 6-4, 6-4, to advance to the Mutua Madrid Open semifinals.
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