Bianca Andreescu withdraws from ASB Classic with ongoing knee injury

World no. 5 and the youngest player in the top-20, Bianca Andreescu had stellar 2019 season, winning notable titles at Indian Wells and Toronto and becoming the first teenager with Major crown since 2006! The US Open champion had received numerous awards at home during the offseason but wasn't able to practice like all of her rivals, still dealing with that left knee injury from the WTA Finals and deciding to skip the season opener at the ASB Classic in Auckland. Kicking off the 2019 season from outside the top-150, Bianca barely missed claiming the title in Auckland as a qualifier, gathering momentum and winning one match at the Australian Open, also as a qualifier.

Improving her ranking, Bianca made a direct entry at Indian Wells and stormed over the opponents to become the youngest champion in the desert since Serena Williams, heading to Miami for more of the same before experiencing the first setback of the season. Facing Anett Kontaveit in the fourth round, the young Canadian suffered a shoulder injury that sidelined her from the court almost until August, playing just one match at Roland Garros and making a return at home in Toronto. Ready to continue where she left, Bianca defeated three top-10 rivals to lift the trophy, becoming the national hero and returning to the winning trail ahead of the US Open where she conquered the first Major crown and wrote history.

Reducing the schedule after New York to avoid potential injuries, Bianca lost in the quarter-final in Beijing to Naomi Osaka, aiming to chase the title at the WTA Finals in Shenzhen on her debut at the premium WTA event. Wasting a massive opportunity to beat Simona Halep in the first match, Andreescu had to retire against Karolina Pliskova following a nasty left knee injury, ending the season and withdrawing from the Hawaii Open and the ASB Classic. The Canadian is hoping to get ready for the Australian Open that starts in less than three weeks and it should be interesting to follow her progress ahead of the first Major of the season in Melbourne. 

"Hello everyone. I want to let you guys know that I won't be playing Auckland this year. I'm super disappointed about it but I spoke to my team and I really have to what is best for my knee right now. I have so many great memories from Auckland and hope I can create more of those in 2021."

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2Qh9pn0