First-round loss at tournament is latest low point for Mississauga tennis star

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Published August 9, 2023 at 1:00 pm

Bianca Andreescu in French Open action in June in Paris. (Photo: Martin Sidorjak via Tennis Canada Twitter)

The up-and-down ride that is Bianca Andreescu’s comeback bid hit another low this week in Montreal.

The 23-year-old Mississauga native was ousted in first-round women’s singles action on Tuesday (Aug. 8) by Italy’s Camila Giorgi 3-6, 2-6 at the National Bank Open tennis tournament.

Andreescu, ranked No. 41 by the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), didn’t pose a serious threat to Giorgi, WTA No. 51, as the match unfolded.

It was a meeting of former National Bank Open/Canadian Open champions, with Giorgi, 31, winning in 2021, also in Montreal, and Andreescu winning the tourney in 2019.

The 2019 win came with the Mississauga native, then 19, at the top of her game. Andreescu also stunned the tennis world by winning the U.S. Open that year.

A hiatus from the sport followed, with Andreescu not playing at all in 2021, and she’s been on the comeback trail since early 2022.

At the height of her game in 2019, Andreescu had risen to No. 4 in the world among women.

Tuesday’s loss may have also brought about bad news for the Canadian on the injury front.

Troubled by injuries over the years, including torn ankle ligaments earlier this year, Andreescu reportedly experienced a flare-up of back pain that dates back to last week.

Andreescu has been inconsistent in her play for well over a year now as she tries to get back among the elite in women’s tennis. On many occasions, she has lost to a lower-ranked opponent during her comeback bid from a year-long self-imposed hiatus in 2021.

The news on the comeback trail hasn’t been all bad for Andreescu, though. At times, she has shown glimpses of the player who shocked the tennis world with a win at the U.S. Open in 2019.

Case in point, her performance in mixed doubles action in June at the French Open, one of tennis’ four Grand Slam events (Wimbledon, the U.S. Open and Australian Open are the others).

The pair of Andreescu and Michael Venus (New Zealand) made it to the final before falling to Japan’s Miyu Kato and Germany’s Tim Putz.

In July, the Canadian started strong at Wimbledon before being eliminated in the third round.

 

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