"I feel pretty damn good": Out for 15 months, Andreescu wins in return

Playing her first match since injuring her left knee at the 2019 WTA Finals, Bianca Andreescu brought out her brand of tennis that has been sorely missed on Monday at the Australian Open.

There was slicing with pace. There was slicing with finesse. There was powerful redirecting. And there was powerful movement. All leading to Andreescu’s triumphant return to the major stage, but not without a trademark street fight.

Appearing in her first Grand Slam event since becoming the first Canadian to raise a major singles trophy at the 2019 US Open, Andreescu fended off Mihaela Buznarnescu, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, after opting out of last week’s Grampians Trophy following her 14-day hard quarantine in Melbourne.

"I feel pretty damn good. Today's match wasn't easy at all. I'm super, super happy with how I fought it out, especially towards the end," Andreescu said in her on-court interview. "I took 15 months off. I've been through quite a bit during those 15 months. It wasn't easy. That moment over there was me just realizing how all of that is worth it. I never gave up. I have amazing people around me."

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In the first set, the No. 8 seed asserted herself as the aggressor. Andreescu’s transition game was a heavy factor, as she stepped in whenever optimal to finish points. The 20-year-old kept Buzarnescu guessing with her wide spectrum of shape, leading the lucky loser to produce just one winner to 11 unforced errors.

Andreescu continued to pull out the drop shot to great effect early in the second set, until one visible miscue on her second break point chance in the fourth game led to a momentum shift. Buzarnescu went on to hold and broke in the following game by producing consistent depth on her strokes. The Romanian’s timing grew in conviction, with her backhand proving to be a worthy counterpoint. After losing an enthralling 24-shot rally on her first set point, Buzarnescu delivered a clutch serve out wide and deep backhand that Andreescu couldn’t handle to level the clash.

Both players held firmly through the first half of the decider to raise the tension around John Cain Arena. In the seventh game, Buznarnescu’s defense and heavy strikes into her opponent’s backhand created a 0-40 opening. Taking her time in between points, the street fighter we came to appreciate two seasons earlier emerged.

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Andreescu wiped each one away with convincing one-two punches, released a resounding ‘let’s go’ when reaching game point, and slugged it out on the baseline to cement the hold. Having saved two break points of her own in the following game, a pair of unforced errors saw Buznarescu drop serve, setting up Andreescu to close it out in style at love.

"I tried to tell myself not to miss, because I was missing a lot of balls today. I don't want to be too hard on myself, it's my first match back," she said. "I really do believe in my capabilities. Hopefully next match, I can raise my level a bit more. Mihaela raised her level a lot more than in that first set. I have to give kudos to her as well."

In the second round, the world No. 9 will take on Hsieh Su-wei, who eased past Tsvetana Pironkova, 7-5, 6-2. Andreescu won their lone previous meeting in the semifinals of 2019 Auckland to reach her first WTA final.