A former Grand Slam winner has sent an emphatic message to French Open chiefs by winning her first qualifying match without losing a single game. Bianca Andreescu, who has been ranked as high as fourth in the WTA rankings, is being forced to go through the qualifying phase to book her place at Roland Garros. She is currently outside the world’s top 100 following a string of injuries and a lengthy hiatus.
Andreescu recently returned to the court after emergency surgery to remove her appendix and is working her way back up. She reached the fourth round of last week’s Italian Open, where she was beaten by Olympic champion Qinwen Zheng. A trip to Paris was up next for the 24-year-old, who needs to get through qualifying to secure her spot in the main draw.
Her first match ended in a thumping win over Chinese hopeful Yao Xinxin in what turned out to be a total mismatch. Andreescu cruised to a 6-0 6-0 victory, winning every single game and offering a glimpse of the brilliance she has shown in previous years.
Andreescu was denied a wildcard entry into the French Open main draw, with the likes of Diane Parry and Chloe Paquet getting the nod ahead of her. As a result, she was forced to enter qualifying in an attempt to make it through sheer hard work.
The dominant nature of her win over Yao sent a fierce message to tournament bosses, showing that she is far too good to be in qualifying and should perhaps have been awarded a wildcard.
Speaking after the match, Andreescu underlined her desire to return to the very top and made it clear that she was prepared to do it one step at a time.
“I do believe that I can get back to the top and I think I showed that last week,” she said. “I have no time to waste. For me, it’s not like it’s now or never because I know I’m still only 24.
“But I see all these youngsters doing well and I’m like… because I’ve been on the tour for quite a while, like six years, right? Whatever I can do to control the controllables, I will do. That’s me, my attitude, what I put in my body, all this stuff.”
Andreescu claimed her only Grand Slam triumph in 2019, winning the US Open with a famous victory over Serena Williams in the final. She achieved glory at Indian Wells and the Canadian Open in the same year and will be hoping to recapture that form at Roland Garros over the coming weeks.
Content Source: www.express.co.uk