Mississauga's Andreescu set to return to tennis court for the first time in 15 months

 

Mississauga tennis phenom Bianca Andreescu will be the top seed in her return to the court for the first time in 15 months.

The 20-year-old, ranked eighth in the world, was named the top seed on Monday for the Grampians Trophy, which begins Wednesday in Melbourne, Australia. Andreescu has not competed since injuring her left knee in the WTA Finals back in October 2019.

Andreescu will receive a first-round bye and will take on the winner of a match between fellow Canadian Leylah Annie Fernandez and American Sloane Stephens in the second round.

The rising star made her breakthrough when she headed into 2019 season ranked 152nd overall in the world and went on to win the Rogers Cup in Toronto before her thrilling two-set sweep of Serena Williams in the U.S. Open finals that September.

Named to the Fed Cup roster for a tie against Switzerland last February, Andreescu took a pass due to the knee injury and then after WTA Tour play was paused due to the pandemic she declined to play when tournaments returned on a limited scale. She would eventually announce she would be taking the season off to concentrate her efforts on health and training.

The Grampians Trophy is a tune-up for the Australian Open for players coming out of quarantine after exposure to COVID-19 on charter flights to Australia. The season’s first Grand Slam is slated to start February 8.