Bianca Andreescu crashes out of Abu Dhabi against Putintseva

Despite struggling with a shoulder injury in Hua Hin Andreescu opted to play in Abu Dhabi but she didn't do very well losing to Yulia Putintseva in straight sets 6-7(2) 2-6.

Andreescu entered this match as a favourite but it was unclear how well her shoulder felt after she retired in Hua Hin just a few days ago. She opened well taking an early break but as soon as Putitnseva found her rhythm the match shifted in her favour. She broke back and was able to stick through a sequence.

She kept Andreescu guessing with her play combining drop shots and deep groundstrokes. She would end up playing a fabulous tiebreak to take it comfortably 7-2. The second set was much easier for her as she took an early break immediately with Andreescu not being able to string together a couple of good rallies.

She would take a 4-0 lead and after that cruise to a 6-2 conclusion. A great match from Putintseva who took advantage of a shaky effort from Anderescu.