Mississauga tennis star battles lower back woes, but will compete at Toronto tourney
Published August 5, 2022 at 12:52 pm
Mississauga’s Bianca Andreescu continues to experience ups and downs as she tries to make her way back to the upper ranks of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) circuit.
The next chapter in her journey will unfold starting tomorrow (Aug. 6) in Toronto, where she’ll compete at the National Bank Open tournament. The 22-year-old Mississaugan, who won’t play her first match until Tuesday, won the tourney the last time it was held, in 2019.
Earlier this week, there was some uncertainty as to whether Andreescu would be able to take part in the Toronto tourney as she battled back issues.
After losing in straight sets (6-4, 6-2) in a first-round match to American Shelby Rogers at last weekend’s Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic in San Jose, California, Andreescu noted she had been experiencing lower back pain for several days.
She was scheduled to undergo an MRI to determine the severity of the issue.
However, the Canadian tennis star, who burst onto the scene with an unexpected win at the 2019 US Open in New York, told Tennis Canada on Wednesday that she expects to play in the Toronto tournament.
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It runs Aug. 6 to 14 at York University after a two-year absence due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ranked 54th in WTA rankings, Andreescu is scheduled to play her first match in Toronto on Tuesday against a yet-to-be-determined opponent. The draw to determine matchups takes place later today (Aug. 5).
Tournament officials note that 41 of the top 43 WTA players, including No. 1 Iga Swiatek (Poland), are competing at the National Bank Open.
Andreescu’s rollercoaster comeback journey took a bit of a dip at the prestigious Wimbledon tournament in London earlier this summer.
She was eliminated from the major event in the second round, falling 6-4, 7-6 to Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina (WTA No. 23).
Andreescu started the tournament off on the right foot by besting American Emina Bektas 6-1, 6-3 in opening-round play.
The Mississauga athlete had a strong showing at the Bad Homburg Open tournament in Germany the week prior to Wimbledon, advancing to the final before losing.
That Wimbledon tuneup performance improved Andreescu’s WTA ranking from No. 64 to No. 56. She’s improved by two spots in the weeks since.
The Mississauga tennis star, once ranked as high as No. 4 in the world after winning the US Open in 2019, continues to make her way back from a lengthy injury/mental health break on the WTA circuit.
She burst onto the world tennis scene with that surprise US Open win and told media earlier this summer at the Italian Open that the past few years have been tough for her, but she’s slowly “getting to my top form” again.
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