Bianca Andreescu kicks off grass season strong: Cruises through first round at Libema Open

Bianca Andreescu made a winning return to the courts at the start of the grass-court swing. The Canadian is competing at the Libema Open in 's-Hertogenbosch after receiving a wildcard, marking her first appearance in a WTA main draw in a month.

The former US Open champion did not receive a wildcard for the recent Roland Garros, forcing her to enter the qualifying rounds. She debuted with a dominant 6-0, 6-0 victory over Yao Xinxin but ultimately fell to Japan's Nao Hibino 6-2, 6-7(5), 4-6, in a match where she was just two points away from victory.

Andreescu had shown good signs of her form just before the French Open. In her participation in Rome, she defeated two Top-20 rivals, Donna Vekic and Elena Rybakina, before falling to Zheng Qinwen in the round of 16.

The world No. 118 debuted this Tuesday in the first round against Taiwan's Joanna Garland (No. 147). The lesser-known opponent could do little against the 2024 finalist, and Andreescu advanced without complications to the second round with a 6-1, 6-3 winBian

It took her only an hour and 15 minutes to secure the victory, putting on a great serving performance (76% first serves in, winning 76% of those points). Andreescu converted 4 breaks out of 8 opportunities while not conceding any break chances to her opponent.

It was a strong debut on grass, although she will face a tough challenge in the second round against a higher-ranked opponent, especially on this surface. She will play New Zealand's Lulu Sun (No. 43), who entered as the 7th seed and easily defeated local wildcard Anouck Vrancken Peeters. Sun, 24, already has a significant grass-court result, having reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals last year after coming through qualifying.

For Andreescu, after losing points for not defending her Roland Garros third round, the former world No. 4 needs to make up for another important points defense this week. A year ago, she reached the final in 's-Hertogenbosch and is at risk of a significant ranking drop. She currently appears as World No. 151 in the live rankings.