Mississauga tennis star returns to the scene of her first big success
Published August 29, 2022 at 10:45 am
As Bianca Andreescu battles her way back to the upper ranks of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) circuit, she finds herself in comfortable surroundings as she takes to the court today (Aug. 29) in New York City.
The 22-year-old Mississauga native, who has steadily climbed the WTA rankings this year to her current No. 48 slot, is about two hours away from her opening-round match at the prestigious US Open.
It was there in 2019 that Andreescu burst onto the international tennis scene with an unexpected tournament victory.
Since then, things went downhill for the tennis star, who for two years or so battled injuries, a bout with COVID-19 and mental health issues. She didn’t play at all in 2020.
Andreescu took a much-needed break to regroup, reassess and recover–and she’s been back on the path to tennis relevance this year with a renewed focus both on improving her game and once again enjoying the sport she loves.
She kicks off her US Open slate today with a match against France’s Harmony Tan (WTA No. 112). Match is scheduled for 12:15 p.m.
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In 11 career US Open matches, the Canadian has lost only once.
Andreescu’s results so far this year have been mixed. She’s advanced far at some tournaments, while unexpectedly bowing out early in others.
Her 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 at the time).
In her most recent tourney, Andreescu advanced to the round of 16 at the National Bank Open in Toronto before losing to China’s Qinwen Zheng (WTA No. 51 at the time).
She won the National Bank Open in 2019, the last time it was staged.
After her National Bank Open defeat, Andreescu withdrew the following week from the Cincinnati Western & Southern Open.
She told The Guardian last week that pulling out of the tournament has helped her regroup and prepare for this week’s Grand Slam event in New York.
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