PARIS | Bianca Andreescu tapped into the resilience that has characterized her since her professional debut to climb the slope once once more, Monday, at Roland-Garros, and overcome a tenacious qualifier who almost showed her the door from the first round.
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Led by a set and a break, very close to the abyss following finding herself three points from defeat on the small, heavily loaded Court 7, the Canadian completely turned things around at the end of the second set to win. 3-6, 7-5 and 6-0 once morest Belgian Ysaline Bonaventure, 168e world.
Andreescu admits: she was nervous at the start of the match.
“My game went everywhere and her, she played exceptional tennis. She was choosing the right tactics at the right time,” pointed out the 21-year-old.
The stat sheet from the first run will not end up in the line of his career best. Broken three times in six occasions, “Bibi” also multiplied unforced errors, often because she was overwhelmed by the strikes of her 27-year-old opponent.
“I really had to calm down, rethink my tactics, because I felt what I was doing wasn’t working. That’s what I managed to do and I’m really satisfied, ”she explained.
At the end of the second set, the Ontarian regained her offensive game, and this time it was the Belgian who had to review her game patterns. But it was in vain. Andreescu, having dropped to 72e world rank in the last few months, then unfolded in the third inning.
Almost Lost His Calm
The last set was marked by a break of almost an hour caused by showers. Andreescu left only crumbs for his opponent.
“I really almost lost my temper at times, but I had to contain myself,” said the former WTA fourth player. I had to adapt, because it was not only me who was playing badly, it was also her who was playing very well. »
Andreescu is in her first games on the circuit since the five-month hiatus she began in October following the Indian Wells tournament.
A saving break for his mental health. Because it is now known, the Canadian was struggling at the end of the last campaign. She even considered hanging up her racquet at one point.
And his return, in such circumstances, is going very well. She reached the round of 16 in Stuttgart and Madrid, then the quarter-finals in Rome.
the fighting
But Monday, in Paris, in this victory in three sets, Andreescu proved that despite the failures of recent seasons, despite the uncertainty that has inhabited her for a few months, she had in no way lost her fighting spirit.
This sheer tenacity helped her win Indian Wells, Toronto and the U.S. Open in 2019 when she was still a teenager.
On four occasions in both Indian Wells and Toronto, she needed three sets to win. But where can she draw such resilience?
“I try not to just focus on my game,” she explained. I also give credit to my rival, I try to find solutions. And above all, I always say to myself: “It’s not over until it’s over”, ”she smiled.
A great challenge
Tenacity, Andreescu will probably need it once more in the next round, when she will face the Swiss Belinda Bencic, 14e seeded, Wednesday. The Canadian has a career victory once morest her next opponent: it was precisely at the US Open 2019, in the semi-finals.
“I hope I’ve managed to get rid of my nervousness for good,” she pointed out. But every first round of a tournament, I feel a little stressed. Once I found my feet, I hope it helps me for the next one. »
Tuesday will mark the debut of Canadian Denis Shapovalov, 14e favorite, who will face Dane Holger Rune, 40e worldwide, around 5 a.m. Quebec time. Félix Auger-Aliassime, Leylah Fernandez and Bianca Andreescu will be back on Wednesday.
live from paris
Les panamas de Roland-Garros
They had given way to umbrellas in the colors of Roland-Garros on Monday, but on beautiful sunny days at the Porte d’Auteuil, the Panama hat is everywhere in the stands. Roland has always had this madness for hats. In recent years, it is the Panama hat – coming from Ecuador – which has been the fashion item par excellence in the stands. If several spectators have received this gift from a sponsor of the tournament, it is also possible to find these straw hats in the shops that abound on the site. But the panama is not for all wallets. The top-of-the-line version, made of real straw, will cost you 95 euros, or some $130. Luckily (!), there are also versions made of synthetic materials, which retail for between $61 and $88. In 2017, the site L’Express estimated that some 2,000 Panama hats had been sold during the Paris fortnight. But if you just want to protect your head from sunstroke, a simple cap will also do the trick. Promise!
French breakfast
Beaten in the first round on Sunday by the Polish Magda Linette, the Tunisian Ons Jabeur said she was disappointed to have to play on the Philippe-Chatrier at 11 a.m. And not just because she’s never won on the main court in Paris.
“The spectators were eating their breakfast. There was hardly anyone when we started, it’s a shame! »
It is true that the French have this reputation of arriving late to the first matches of the day, even on the biggest courts, on which the best confrontations are programmed.
“Starting on a Sunday at 11 a.m. was very hard to swallow. It was too soon! Added the one who was sixth favorite.
