Ankle injury in Miami puts Mississauga tennis star’s comeback bid on hold

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Published March 29, 2023 at 1:17 pm

(Photo: Tennis Canada Twitter)

Updated: Bianca Andreescu reported on March 29 that she has suffered two torn ligaments in her ankle and will be out of action for an undetermined amount of time.

 

An injury suffered during fourth-round action Monday night (March 27) at the Miami Open looks to have at least temporarily put the brakes on Bianca Andreescu’s journey back to what she hopes will be a place once again among the women’s tennis elite.

The 22-year-old Mississauga native had been showing recent signs of getting back into the top form that earned her a shocking U.S. Open win in 2019 and had climbed to No. 31 in Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) singles rankings prior to the Miami tournament.

That ranking is Andreescu’s highest since returning to the game after a lengthy layoff in which she didn’t compete at all in 2021.

Andreescu looked strong in early-round action in Miami, culminated by her third-round victory on Sunday over American Sofia Kenin, a former Grand Slam champ, in straight sets (6-4, 6-4) to advance to Monday’s fourth round.

The Mississauga tennis star fired seven aces in the win.

It was during the Monday night match against Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova (WTA No. 18) when Andreescu suffered an ankle injury that sent her to the court screaming in pain.

“I’ve never felt this kind of pain before,” Andreescu screamed as she lay on the court.

Moments later, she exited the court in a wheelchair.

On Tuesday morning, the top-ranked Canadian on the WTA circuit took to social media to provide an update on her injury.

“Woke up with a brace on my foot…anyone know what happened?” she joked on Twitter.

“On a serious note,” her social media post continued, “…that was the worst pain I’ve ever felt…praying for nothing serious. Still waiting on official results.”

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