Bianca Andreescu makes winning return at lower level instead of Australian Open to begin 2026 amid injury setbacks

Former US Open champion, Bianca Andreescu has gone the route only a few players of her calibre dare to tread and that is going back down to a lower level to rediscover her form and love for the game again.

Andreescu as ever didn't make it easy for herself against Malkia Ngounoue winning through 7-5, 2-6, 6-3 but while she made the Quarter-Finals ironically with Mboko, her last match was the first round of the Japan Open in October where she was well beaten by her fellow Canadian.

This in a baton passing moment of sorts despite Andreescu of course only being 25 but Mboko has now ascended to sit atop the tree when it comes to Canadian tennis, something that Andreescu hasn't had since her rise and then sharp fall.

Always a player who has shown her talent is there when she gets on a roll, she has struggled though when it comes to always being an injury there when turning a corner and will also be playing smaller events likely out of necessity.

Not at a ranking where she could likely play qualifying, she would have to rely on wildcards which for an Australian Open is very much unlikely and she has also faltered when it comes to these rounds in the past year. Seeming likely to qualify for the French Open, she lost in the last round then also to Carson Branstine, ironically her friend growing up and doubles partner at Wimbledon.

She did have some high points in 2025 winning the Catalonia Open doubles title defeating Leylah Fernandez and Lulu Sun in the final while in Rome, she reached the fourth round losing to Zheng Qinwen. En route she defeated Elena Rybakina two weeks prior.

Back then she seemed in a good place and had lost a lot of weight amid a new diet which prevented her from eating pasta, pizza and gelato while in Rome but it seemed to be working for her as she attempted to ascend the rankings again.

Priorly in 2023, Andreescu suffered a terrible ankle injury at the Miami Open, and had to be taken off the court in a wheelchair. She also had to have her appendix out in early 2025 and also suffered an ankle roll on match point in Canada which derailed the rest of her season. When she did return in Asia, she wasn't the same player and seemingly needs this reset.

She did admit though in returning to smaller events and qualifying that it is hard. Going from being on top of the proverbial tennis world in winning the US Open to losing in qualifying for Grand Slams and also having to play them for mid level events is something she touched upon with Tennis365 last year.

"It is certainly a blow to the ego, but I have to put that to one side. It was many years ago that I won the US Open and so much has happened since then. I still have big ambitions. I know what I can accomplish. So finding that balance of being patient and being that go-getter that I am to try and get back to the top is a bit tricky. The problem is that I have been so on and off (with injuries) that I don’t have much rhythm in my playing style," she said.

Now heading to Bradenton for a W35, she presumably is aiming to go the route that Belinda Bencic, Elina Svitolina among others have gone albeit of course without becoming a mother and grind in smaller events to build herself back up.

Andreescu will know more than anyone that in reality given that her US Open win was in 2019, she doesn't have the wildcard pull that she did a few years ago so the only way back is to play lower level and it will be interesting to see how it goes.