US Open

Back from a break, Bianca Andreescu looking for another big title: "I really believe I can do it"

The Canadian didn't shy away from the question of whether she can go all the way at the US Open, where she lifted the trophy during her breakout 2019 season.

ByMatt Cronin

Published Aug 31, 2022

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It's been a while since Bianca Andreescu won the US Open, but the 2019 champion says she can now do it again.

Having overcome Harmony Tan in her opening match—and her Nike dress, which she had to change during the contest because it was bothering her—the former world No. 4 didn't shy away from the question of whether she can go all the way:

“I really believe I can do it,” she told press after her 6-0, 3-6, 6-1 win.

That's the mentality she had when she won as a 19-year-old—a huge hitter going for the lines, coming up with different shots, fearless, she took on all comers.

But following a breakthrough season when she also won Indian Wells and Toronto, it took her a while to adjust.

“It was definitely overwhelming. At first it was great, and then I didn't, I guess, expect everything that came along with it, and I felt that at one point it got the best of me,” said Andreescu, who delayed her start to this season to take a break for her mental health.

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“I really had to reassess everything, in a way. I had that break about, I think it was like four months and a half, where I was not enjoying myself at all. I felt that I was identifying myself too much with my wins, with my losses.

“Back in 2019, that's not how it was. I was just super happy to be back on court playing. I didn't really think of anything. I was just happy to be there.”

During the 2021 US Open, Andreescu reached the fourth round in Flushing Meadows, falling against the current world No. 3 Maria Sakkari.

This season, she's reached one final and a lot of her defeats have been to Top 15 players. She says she's now more experienced and equipped for the pressures that follow a big title.

“Then with everything else going on, it is expected, and now I feel that if it does happen again, I'm gonna deal with it better and maybe enjoy the win a little bit more than I did in 2019,” said Andreescu.

She will next play against No. 15 Beatriz Haddad Maia in the second round on Wednesday.

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