Canada's Bianca Andreescu crashes out of National Bank Open in first round

Bianca Andreescu of Canada hits a return to Lesia Tsurenko of Ukraine at the National Bank Open in Toronto on Tuesday, August 6, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn

Bianca Andreescu is out of the National Bank Open.

The Canadian fell 0-6, 6-3, 6-4 to Ukraine's Lesia Tsurenko in first-round action Tuesday -- a bitterly disappointing result following a bright start as she continues to work her way back following a 10-month injury absence.

An aggressive Andreescu was shot out of a cannon in the first set, opening with a strong forehand down the line before firing three aces and pumping her fist in front of the partisan Sobeys Stadium crowd to win in just 20 minutes.

The 24-year-old from nearby Mississauga, Ont., secured her fourth break point to open the second set against her 85th-ranked opponent to take a seventh straight game.

The tables then drastically turned from there for a stretch, with Tsurenko pushing back to even the match as Andreescu seemed to tire.

The Ukrainian broke a frustrated Andreescu three times in the third set to build a 5-0 lead. Andreescu battled hard to win four straight games before a nervy Tsurenko eventually sealed her first victory since May.

The first Canadian to win the country's national tennis title in 55 years as part of a banner 2019 season, Andreescu is currently No. 175 in the world following a back injury last summer that forced her off WTA Tour until this spring.

She made the third round at both the French Open and Wimbledon before losing out in the second round at the Paris Olympics.

Andreescu, who won the 2019 U.S. Open at age 19, had a string of health concerns -- knee, foot and ankle injuries -- in recent seasons before the back issue flared up in August 2023.

Tsurenko, 35, won the two previous meetings between the players, including in the third round of last year's French Open.

The NBO rotates the men's and women's brackets between Toronto and Montreal each year.

The women's event endured a boatload of withdrawals -- including world No. 1 Iga Swiatek -- late last week following the Olympics.

Also skipping Toronto are Wimbledon champion and world No. 10 Barbora Krejcikova (thigh injury) and No. 4 Elena Rybakina (bronchitis) along with No. 5 Jasmine Paolini, No. 8 Maria Sakkari and No. 9 Danielle Collins.

The watered-down field is headlined by No. 2 Coco Gauff of the U.S. and No. 3 Aryna Sabalenka of Russia. American Jessica Pegula, No. 6 overall and last year's NBO winner in Montreal, is in Canada to defend her title.

No. 25 Leylah Fernandez of Laval, Que., is Canada's top-ranked player.

Other notable first-round singles matches Tuesday saw No. 11 seed Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine and No. 12 Victoria Azarenka of Belarus advance in straight sets.

Poised to open her pursuit of the national singles title Wednesday night against China's Zhang Shuai, Fernandez and younger sister Bianca upset the fifth-seeded doubles team of Demi Schuurs of the Netherlands and Brazil's Luisa Stefani.

PURSE PARITY COMING

This year's NBO purse for the women is set at just over US$3.2 million, while the men are playing for just shy of $6.8 million. Tennis Canada and National Bank pledged last year to have equal prize money by 2027.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 6, 2024.