Mississauga’s Andreescu will face stiff test in quest to defend tennis tourney title
Published August 8, 2022 at 12:35 pm
Mississauga’s Bianca Andreescu has drawn a tough opening-round match as she seeks to defend her title at the National Bank Open tennis tournament taking place this week at York University in Toronto.
Andreescu, who 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, will face WTA No. 9 Daria Kasatkina, of Russia, on Tuesday. Time of the match has yet to be set.
The 22-year-old Mississauga tennis star, ranked No. 53 by the WTA, won the National Bank Open in 2019, the last time it was staged. The COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the tourney the last two years.
Early last week, there was some uncertainty as to whether Andreescu would be able to take part in the Toronto tourney as she battled back issues. Several days earlier, she had lost in straight sets (6-4, 6-2) in a first-round match to American Shelby Rogers at the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic in San Jose, California.
Andreescu noted she had been experiencing lower back pain for several days.
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 last Wednesday that she was a full go for the Toronto tournament.
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The National Bank Open runs all week, wrapping up on Sunday. Tournament officials note that 41 of the top 43 WTA players, including No. 1 Iga Swiatek (Poland), are competing at the event
American and international tennis legends Venus and Serena Williams are also competing this week in Toronto.
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.
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