"God she's so embarrassing"; "Glad she got beat" - Eugenie Bouchard fans slam her pickleball opponent for controversial 'salty handshake' after loss

Fans take a dig at Eugenie Bouchard's pickleball opponent, Kate Fahey, after the latter engaged in a salty handshake at the Rate Vegas Cup. Bouchard secured her place in the finals, where she faced the eventual winner and World No. 1 Anna Leigh Waters. Eugenie Bouchard, who boasted a stellar tennis career, becoming the first Canadian to reach a Grand Slam final at the 2014 Wimbledon, made a career shift to pickleball. She has been transitioning her tennis skills to the pro pickleball court and has already started making strides against the top players. At the recently concluded Rate Vegas Cup, she faced former collegiate tennis player Kate Fahey in the semifinals, triumphing over her 11-1, 10-12, 11-4. In a clip of her winning moment, Fahey was seen engaging in a handshake laced with tension, which prompted Bouchard’s fans to throw shade at her attitude. One fan wondered if pickleball also has 'salty' handshakes like tennis. "Pickleball has salty handshakes too?"Myles David @TunedIntoTennisLINKPickleball has salty handshakes too?Another fan noticed the behaviour that even left Eugenie Bouchard in a false position and called it 'embarrassing'. "God she’s so embarrassing"pliskolove STOVE ERA @pliskoloveLINKgod she’s so embarrassingAnother X user felt glad that Kate Fahey lost the match, commenting:"Fahey was a poor sport this entire match. Glad she got beat."Wormburner @hooph__heartedLINKFahey was a poor sport this entire match. Glad she got beat.Here are some other reactions:"Fahey looking up to the very best when it comes to handshakes... following in the Mother's footsteps," a fan tweeted. "Didn't knew pickleballers throwing salty handshakes also," commented a fan. Eugenie Bouchard talked about her mentality before going into the finals against Anna Leigh WatersBouchard at the Canadian tennis player Eugenie Bouchard in Istanbul - Source: GettyEugenie Bouchard was off to a great start at the Rate Vegas Cup, defeating No. 7 Catherine Parenteau in the Round of 16 and No. 14 Jorja Johnson in the quarterfinals. She also posted a dominant win over Fahey to book her spot in the final. Although she might have been expected to feel intimidated before facing the World No. 1, the Canadian expressed that she had nothing to lose and everything to gain in terms of experience."I have nothing to lose against Anna Leigh, so that's my mentality. I'm the underdog. I want to swing, play my game, try to be aggressive, and see how I match up. It's always a fun opportunity to play the best in our sport," she said. (via Pickleball.com)Bouchard officially retired from tennis at the 2025 Canadian Open, losing her title bid in the second round after falling to Belinda Bencic.