The 8th seed Canadian, Bianca Andreescu, saw doubles World No.1 Hsieh Su-wei in the 2nd round of the Australian Open 2021. And as a result, her return after 15-month to tennis came to a screeching halt. The Canadian star suffered a disappointing 3-6, 2-6 loss at the hands of the 35-year-old.
The Canadian found her way into this match on the back of a 3-set victory over Mihaela Buzarnescu 6-2, 4-6, 6-3. As for her opponent, the Taiwanese professional won against qualifier Tsvetana Pironkova in 2 straight sets 7-5, 6-2.
Bianca Andreescu starts sloppy, loses set one 3-6
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The 2019 US Open champion had been away from tennis since the near-end of 2019. Having withdrawn from the lead-up tournament, she also had fewer matches under her sleeves.
This costed the Canadian star dearly in the first set as she couldn’t hold her first 2 serves. On the other side of the court, the current World No.68 dominated royally.
Bianca Andreescu, who won her first game after trailing 0-4 in the first set, could barely make a dent on the Taiwanese professional. She lost the first set 3-6.
It was a total disaster for the Canadian star as she took to the bench for the set break. Undoubtedly, Hsieh Su-wei and her strategy coming into the match was to hit the target on point.
She even displayed how mindful she was amid a Grand Slam match, dropping an unconventional shot to win a point.
Su-Wei Hsieh showing off all her shots. Up a set against Andreescu. #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/bs3iFc8faz
— Tennis GIFs 🎾🎥 (@tennis_gifs) February 10, 2021
Trouble for Bianca as Hsieh magic endures
Unable to level with the game of the 35-year-old Taiwanese professional, Bianca’s sloppy start continued in her do-or-die set. Her out-of-the-court returns, missing easy smashes, were quite uncharacteristic.
However, Su-wei was undeniably creating magic on the court. The 2-time 4th-round qualifier at the Australian Open left it all out on the court, leaving the rising star from Canada in deep trouble.
Trailing at 3-6, 1-3, Bianca broke her opponent’s serve, making a statement about her presence in the match. Although she accelerated her game for the next 2 games, the composed Hsieh continued to add points to her account.
The trick for the Taiwanese was to force the Canadian professional to make the errors. Failing distinctly, Bianca gave away most of the points from her own racket.
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💪 Giant-killer Su-Wei Hsieh sure loves the big stage.
Converting her third match point, Hsieh def. 8th seed Andreescu 6-3 6-2 #AusOpen | #AO2021 pic.twitter.com/2N0EuknOsK
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) February 10, 2021
In the end, Su-wei concluded the match breaking Andreescu once again. She will play in the 3rd round at the Australian Open 2021.
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As for Bianca, the lack of match practice earned her an untimely exit from the Happy Slam. From here on, she has a lot more to do to make her comeback on the tour. It is definitely another great upset coming from Melbourne Park in Australia.
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