(Cincinnati) Bianca Andreescu, who earned her spot in the main draw of the Cincinnati Open as an invited player, was beaten 6-4, 7-5 by 21-year-old Armenian Elina Avanesyan in the first round on Tuesday night.
The Canadian is desperately trying to shake off the nomad label that has been attached to her since her return to the game.
Andreescu was also eliminated in the first round of the National Bank Open in Toronto last week. And before that, she was eliminated in the second round of the Paris Olympics.
Not being able to stay in one place for a long period of time and being eliminated prematurely quickly becomes annoying on the physically demanding WTA Tour.
Formerly ranked fourth in the world and winner of the US Open (2019), the 24-year-old Ontarian has disappeared from the rankings due to a series of injuries and few victories.
Andreescu played well enough on Tuesday to advance to the next round, but it didn’t happen and will present an added challenge for her coaches as they prepare for the U.S. Open, which begins Aug. 26 in New York.
Andreescu hit five aces, committed three double faults and converted just one of her 12 break points in a match that lasted 1 hour and 51 minutes.
Avanesyan, playing in Cincinnati for the first time, hit two aces, double-faulted and broke her opponent three times. She hit 78 percent of her first serves compared to Andreescu’s 66 percent.
” She [Andreescu] “Is a very good player, but it’s not easy to play after being injured,” Avanesya said. “That said, I’m really happy to have won.”
Quebecer Félix Auger-Aliassime is also taking part in the tournament. He will play his first match on Wednesday against American Aleksandar Kovacevic.