Bianca Andreescu (No. 175) suffered a
disappointing defeat to
Lesia Tsurenko in the first round of the
Canadian Open.
The Canadian started the match dominantly but couldn't maintain her level in
the second and third sets. Despite Andreescu’s apparent comeback late in the
match, the Ukrainian sealed the victory 0-6, 6-3, 6-4.
The former US Open champion played her first
hardcourt match since the first round of the 2023 Canadian Open and was
defeated again, extending her drought on hard courts to 15 months.
Disappointing Defeat for
Andreescu
The day started in the best possible way for
Andreescu, who played an almost perfect set with three consecutive breaks that
put her ahead 6-0 in just 21 minutes. The Canadian was equally effective from
the service line and on return, winning 80% of the points played (Tsurenko
managed only six points throughout the set).
It seemed like a smooth day for the former
world No. 4, who started the second set with another break in her favor.
However, she began to show deficiencies in her serve, and Tsurenko secured her
first game of the match with a break. Both took advantage of their
opportunities early on, and the score was 2-2 with four consecutive breaks.
Everything changed when Tsurenko held her
service game for the first time after five consecutive breaks against her. The
Ukrainian had a 67% first serve rate in the set, winning 65% of those points,
compared to a poor performance from Andreescu, with a 52% first serve rate,
winning only 47% of them. Tsurenko reduced her errors, and after securing the
third consecutive break, she closed the set in her favor by 6-3.
Bianca Andreescu at 2023 Indian Wells.
The Ukrainian did not slow down in the third
set. After a contested first game, she quickly secured another break,
frustrating Andreescu. Tsurenko was relentless with her first serve and solid
on return, continuing to trouble Andreescu and reaching a 5-0 lead with a
chance to serve for a bagel.
The 24-year-old local player managed to recover
two breaks and defend her service games, bringing the set to 4-5, but Tsurenko
maintained her focus to secure a hard-fought victory 0-6, 6-3, 6-4. In the
second round, she will face the winner between qualifier Louisa Chirico (No.
218) and 10th seed
Anna Kalinskaya (No. 17).