Bianca Andreescu (No. 175) suffered a disappointing defeat to Lesia Tsurenko in the first round of the Canadian Open.
The Canadian started the match dominantly but couldn’t maintain her level in the second and third sets. Despite Andreescu’s apparent comeback late in the match, the Ukrainian sealed the victory 0-6, 6-3, 6-4.
The former US Open champion played her first hardcourt match since the first round of the 2023 Canadian Open and was defeated again, extending her drought on hard courts to 15 months.
Disappointing Defeat for Andreescu
The day started in the best possible way for Andreescu, who played an almost perfect set with three consecutive breaks that put her ahead 6-0 in just 21 minutes. The Canadian was equally effective from the service line and on return, winning 80% of the points played (Tsurenko managed only six points throughout the set).
It seemed like a smooth day for the former world No. 4, who started the second set with another break in her favor. However, she began to show deficiencies in her serve, and Tsurenko secured her first game of the match with a break. Both took advantage of their opportunities early on, and the score was 2-2 with four consecutive breaks.
Everything changed when Tsurenko held her service game for the first time after five consecutive breaks against her. The Ukrainian had a 67% first serve rate in the set, winning 65% of those points, compared to a poor performance from Andreescu, with a 52% first serve rate, winning only 47% of them. Tsurenko reduced her errors, and after securing the third consecutive break, she closed the set in her favor by 6-3.
The Ukrainian did not slow down in the third set. After a contested first game, she quickly secured another break, frustrating Andreescu. Tsurenko was relentless with her first serve and solid on return, continuing to trouble Andreescu and reaching a 5-0 lead with a chance to serve for a bagel.
The 24-year-old local player managed to recover two breaks and defend her service games, bringing the set to 4-5, but Tsurenko maintained her focus to secure a hard-fought victory 0-6, 6-3, 6-4. In the second round, she will face the winner between qualifier Louisa Chirico (No. 218) and 10th seed Anna Kalinskaya
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