Bianca Andreescu knows all about the delirium and danger of going the distance.
The second-seeded Canadian delivered enthralling homecoming fighting off Harriet Dart 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 in Montreal for her seventh straight win at the Omnium Banque Nationale.
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It was Andreescu's first match on home soil since she won the 2019 Canadian Masters and US Open championships—defeating Serena Williams in both finals—and solidified her status as the WTA Tour's reigning action-adventure star.
Andreescu raised her record to 13-7, including a 9-2 mark in three-setters this season. She confesses to a "love-hate" relationship with her prowess going the distance: Andreescu loves to inspire fans, but hates driving her parents, who were watching from an upstairs box, to stress-induced incontinence.
"I know the crowd loves it. Actually it's a love-hate relationship," Andreescu said. "My parents were probably pissing their pants, having another heart attack. It's just entertaining, too, at the same time.
"I don't know. I'm sure the crowd loved it."
The 21-year-old Andreescu has shown problem-solving skills and all-court tools posting a 25-9 career record in three-setters. Working with coach Sven Groeneveld, look for Andreescu to try to apply her transition and net game more effectively as she did at times in the closing stages vs. Dart. If she can trust her forward movement and closing skills, Andreescu can shorten points and limit three-setters and the toll they can take on her body.
"My goal isn't really to be on court for that long. I want to be able to stick to my game plan the whole entire match," Andreescu said. "I feel like I haven't been doing that in my matches a lot. I'm really trying to, like, switch that habit.
"That comes with experience. That comes with playing matches. I haven't really been playing that many matches. I think that once the matches kind of add up, I'm going to get better at that."
Photo credit: Getty