MELBOURNE, Australia | Bianca Andreescu arrived at Melbourne Park on Monday morning Australian time to impress in the first major tournament of the season.
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Her repeated forehand and backhand attacks, combined with some effective runs at the net – and even some spectacular ones – allowed the 22-year-old Ontarian to defeat Czech Marie Bouzkova 6-2, 6-4 in 1 hour and 41 minutes
However, the task was not so easy: Bouzkova was the 25th seed of the Australian Open. And while she admits she hates seeing the numbers “4” and “3” on her name, Andreescu is effectively ranked 43rd in the world at the moment.
“I played a very solid match,” the Canadian confirmed in a press conference. Marie was a challenge and I’m very happy with my performance. »
Photo: AFP
Bianca Andreescu in action at the Adelaide tournament that took place earlier this year.
In fact, the Canadian was more than happy. Focused “from start to finish,” she says, “she wants to play all her games like this now.”
The roles between the favorite and the underdog were reversed – on paper at least – from the start of this meeting, the first of the fortnight, which was played on the intimate Court 3 in the shadow of the imposing Rod Laver Arena.
As the stands began to fill up (there was a huge line to get onto the side on the first day of the tournament), Andreescu upped the pace of his game.
The former fourth in the world initially offered a break point to make it 2-1, which she concretized with a hammer on the forehand of the 24-year-old Czech.
With his new coach
Clearly proud of her shot, Andreescu shook his fist in the direction of her box, where her new trainer, the likeable Frenchman Christophe Lambert, with whom she has been working for almost two months, was standing.
A new coach, yes, but the Canadian has known that since he was young. He was by her side when she won the prestigious 16-and-under Orange Bowl in 2014.
The Ontarian offered herself two more break points at 5-2 and slipped away with the opening set. And this time she held out for the rest of the encounter, breaking again at the end of the set.
Nervous at the end of the game
A nice way to forget his recent setbacks in Auckland, where Andreescu had lost no fewer than 12 straight games to fall 6-4, 6-0 to Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova in the second round.
And if Andreescu went there with some tears of joy as usual during the meeting, there was no big cheering when match point was contested.
“I was nervous at the end of the game. I was rather relieved, she emphasized. I wanted to be more demonstrative, but I couldn’t. »
“I was very motivated considering the last game I played before this one. [contre Kudermetova], added the Canadian. I didn’t want to give him room to come back. I really didn’t want to [que cette séquence] continues. »
The nervousness had left the player when she appeared in the interview room about an hour after her victory. Andreescu was both relaxed and excited. Excited “because she had nothing bad to say about her match”.
Andreescu is already in fine form and is now, on the face of it at least, entitled to an easier confrontation in the second round, Tuesday night or overnight Tuesday to Wednesday Quebec time.
She meets Spanish qualifier Cristina Bucsa, 100th in the world. The two players have never faced each other, but Andreescu knows that she is “a slugger”.
Like 2019, or even better
After that (if any), things could get tough for Bianca. A certain Pole named Iga Swiatek, the big favorite of the tournament, could be waiting for him in the third round.
The Canadian says she never looks too far ahead, but has read on social media that she may be set to face the best player in the world.
An athlete who won two major tournaments last year – in Paris and New York – and who has also signed 37 consecutive wins, the longest of the 21st century.
During this unlikely series, Swiatek eliminated Andreescu in the quarterfinals in Rome. The Canadian remembers that all too well. She fought well in the first set but eventually lost 7-6 (2) and… 6-0. “Bibi” was then only at her third event of the season, she had taken a longer break at the beginning of last season.
“It would be fun [de l’affronter à nouveau], when I go there, Andreescu started. Seeing someone like Iga perform is very motivating and inspiring because in tennis it’s difficult to have that consistency. »
“Seeing you go motivates me,” she added. Because I know I have the potential to find myself in the same position as in 2019 [l’année où Andreescu a remporté le US Open, mais aussi Indian Wells et Toronto]. And even do better. »
In fact, the Andreescu who was on the pitch on Monday looked like 2019… It remains to be seen if she can really “play all her games like this”.