Bianca Andreescu’s Bold Decision To Miss Australian Open Brings Instant Results

Last Updated:January 19, 2026, 13:10 IST

Bianca Andreescu returns to tennis after injury, skipping the Australian Open to compete in ITF Florida events and rebuild her ranking.

Bianca Andreescu celebrates a game point against Barbora Krejcikova (Picture credit: AFP)

2019 US Open champion Bianca Andreescu is looking to start from scratch after going through a lengthy injury break and having skipped the Australian Open,  the Canadian is now looking to put up good performances in the lower-level tournaments and slowly get back to the groove.

At just 25, Andreescu has battled several injury setbacks since her breakthrough successes in 2019, taking a heavy toll on her career.

Andreescu now sits well outside the WTA singles top 200. Her low ranking would have required her to play through qualifying to enter this year’s Australian Open women’s singles main draw.

Instead of focusing on Melbourne, Andreescu opted for a series of ITF tournaments in Florida to boost her confidence and sharpen her match fitness.

Andreescu kicked off her new season at the W35 tournament in Bradenton, dropping just one set on her way to the final, where she beat Vivian Wolff 6-2, 7-5.

In 2019, Andreescu made a massive impact on the WTA tour. Beginning the year as a teenager, she captured the prestigious Indian Wells and Canadian Open titles before capping it off with a US Open win.

Andreescu has battled injuries affecting her right shoulder, knees, feet, back and ankles over the years. At last year’s Canadian Open, she showed promise on home soil by beating former two-time Major champion Barbora Krejcikova.

“All I could think about is, honestly, like why? Like why again? I think I even screamed out, ‘Why does this keep happening to me?’ So yeah, just a bunch of emotions,” Andreescu said after she sustained an ankle injury soon after.

“I was super overwhelmed, obviously playing in front of a home crowd… winning the match, right? It was match point for me and it was just crazy. It was crazy. I started laughing at one point because, honestly, at this point it is laughable,” Andreescu added.

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