By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Friday February 8, 2021
Bianca Andreescu made her triumphant return to the Grand Slam stage on Monday in Melbourne. The Canadian was made to work, but eventually emerged with a thrilling three-set victory to book a date with Hsieh Su-Wei in the second round.
Andreescu’s 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 triumph stretches her Grand Slam win streak to eight and marks her first victory of any kind since 2019.
Andreescu showed her vintage variety and power and, most important, demonstrated her ability to raise her level in the toughest moments. After the match she admitted that her performance wasn’t perfect, but added that she is in no mood to be too hard on herself.
“I felt really good going into the match,” she said. “I made some stupid, per se, errors during the entire match here and there, but Mihaela also did pick up her game, too, so I have to give her creds for that. I don't want to be too hard on myself. It's my first match back. I'm just super relieved that I was able to win today.”
After Buzarnescu rallied to take the middle set, the Romanian looked to be approaching victory when earned triple break point with Andreescu serving at 3-3. But the 20-year-old answered the bell with aplomb, saving the three break points and taking over the match from that point.
“After the match I sat down with my team a little bit, and I'm like, ‘Oh, guys, here we go again, those three-setters’, and they just started laughing because they obviously knew what they were getting themselves into,” she said. “But those matches are super good for me in my opinion because it really shows that I can scramble when I really need to, or if there's some pressure I can dig my way through it somehow.”
The victory erases a lot of doubts about whether or not Andreescu can still be the same player she was in 2019 when she became the first player to ever win the US Open title on her main draw debut. She’s got a long way to go but it’s clear that the magic is still there.
And so are the emotions. Andreescu told reporters that she had a good cry last night, due to the nerves and the anxiety, as she reflected on all she has been through in these last fifteen months away from the court.
“Last night I did cry, and I'm not afraid to say that because everyone cries sometimes,” she said. “But it's a good release for me because in my head, all I was thinking about were the last 15 months and how tough they were, and they were tough for many reasons, COVID being one of them, and then my knee injury, being ready to play Indian Wells, Miami, and then COVID hitting. That wasn't easy.
"And just other personal issues, as well. It wasn't necessarily easy, but I got through them. I have amazing people around me that help me along the way, and I have to thank them for that because I wouldn't be able to do it without them.”