Mississauga’s Bianca Andreescu ousted from San Diego tourney by top American

Mississauga’s Bianca Andreescu had victory in her sights late yesterday afternoon (Oct. 13) at the San Diego Open tennis tournament before eventually falling to higher-ranked American Coco Gauff.

Andreescu, 22, unseeded at the tourney and ranked No. 57 in Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) play, was up 3-1 in the third and deciding set against the tournament’s sixth seed before Gauff, 18, took charge and won the next five games.

Gauff, ranked No. 8 by the WTA, took the round of 16 match 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 thanks to some terrific shot-making.

With the impressive comeback win, the American advances to the quarter-final round of the tournament while Andreescu remains in search of a tournament victory as she seeks to return to the top of the women’s singles rankings.

In her bid to bust back into the top rankings, Andreescu has struggled to find consistency in her game this year–sometimes showing glimpses of the talent that allowed her to secure a stunning U.S. Open title in 2019 while at other times losing to lesser-ranked opponents.

Bianca Andreescu came out swinging against sixth seed Coco Gauff, but the American’s persistence proved too much and Bianca bowed out in the second round of the #SanDiegoOpen.

Great fight from Andreescu. Read more: 👇 https://t.co/U1SrD7WqCn

— Tennis Canada (@TennisCanada) October 14, 2022

The Mississauga tennis star has struggled since 2019 while Gauff has by most accounts lived up to the hype that surrounded her.

Andreescu has fallen to the No. 57 rung on the WTA ladder after climbing as high as No. 48 last month during the U.S. Open.

This week’s play marks the Mississauga athlete’s first court action since her ousting in the third round of the U.S. Open in New York in early September.

Andreescu continues her roller coaster journey back to what she hopes will be a prominent WTA ranking once again. The Mississauga tennis star climbed as high as No. 4 in the world after bursting onto the scene with her stunning U.S. Open title in New York in 2019.

After her successful 2019 results, Andreescu fell on tougher times soon after. For two years or so, she battled injuries, a bout with COVID-19 and mental health issues.

She didn’t play at all in 2020.

Andreescu’s results so far this year have been mixed. She’s advanced far at some tournaments, while unexpectedly bowing out early in others. Along the way, she has knocked off much higher-ranked opponents before then losing to less talented players.