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Andreescu's 'Aha moment' made Australian Open win possible

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Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved

Bianca Andreescu of Canada plays a backhand return to Marie Bouzkova of the Czech Republic during their first round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, Jan. 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

MELBOURNE ā€“ Bianca Andreescu traces the path that brought her back to the tennis tour after a mental health break ā€” and, on Monday, put her back in the win column thanks to beating a seeded opponent at the Australian Open ā€” to what she calls ā€œan ā€˜Ahaā€™ momentā€ on a beach in Costa Rica during a spiritual retreat nearly a year ago.

Here, then, is how the 22-year-old Canadian described that epiphany in an interview with The Associated Press at Melbourne Park: ā€œI am meant to play the sport and use it as a platform to be an inspiration for others.ā€

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Andreescu, who beat Serena Williams in the 2019 U.S. Open final as a teenager, went through a series of health issues, including catching COVID-19, that derailed her career in 2020 and slowed her in 2021, too. She also split from her long-time coach. All in all, there was a lot going on ā€” after beating No. 25 seed Marie Bouzkova 6-2, 6-4 at Court 3 on Monday, Andreescu used the word ā€œhecticā€ to describe that period ā€” and she went six months without playing a match from October 2021 to April 2022, including sitting out last yearā€™s Australian Open.

ā€œThat was when I started to ask myself the question: Is this worth it? Is this life worth it? Because I was very stressed out with many things: People in my life; the way I was looking at myself in the mirror,ā€ Andreescu said. ā€œJust holding a tennis racket, I didnā€™t feel happy anymore. Or content. Because usually, going on the court is my getaway place ā€” and it stopped feeling like that.ā€

She realized she needed to re-evaluate where she was and where she was headed.

ā€œDo I keep pushing and pushing and hope for the best? Or do I take a step back? So thatā€™s what I did. I took a break. And I did other things outside of tennis. I did a lot of charity work. I traveled to a few places. Hung out with friends I hadnā€™t hung out with in two or three years. I started playing soccer again. I did some skating. I started martial arts. I did dancing. A bunch of other things. And it really made me appreciate tennis even more,ā€ Andreescu said with a wide smile. "I honestly didnā€™t know when I was going to pick up a racket again.ā€

During her time in Costa Rica last February, Andreescu found a new frame of mind.

ā€œI felt much better in 2022 than I did in 2021, when after losses, I felt so discouraged,ā€ she said. ā€œNow I just want to get back on court. I feel very motivated.ā€

Sure seemed that way against Bouzkova, a U.S. Open quarterfinalist last year.

Andreescu mixed up her shots and overpowered her foe when opting for big cuts on groundstrokes.

ā€œJust didnā€™t give me much space to breathe and to sort of get my momentum going,ā€ Bouzkova said.

Andreescu said she felt a mix of nerves and relief at the end Monday, because she really wanted to win.

Which she did and now will face 100th-ranked Cristina Bucsa of Spain as the journey continues.

ā€œI like to say what my mom always tells me: ā€˜Follow your heart.ā€™ Thatā€™s what I did. I have a strong intuition, I would say, and I feel like a lot of other people do. So trust your gut,ā€ Andreescu said, pointing her interlocking fingers toward her heart. ā€œIf you donā€™t feel good in something for a while ā€” I didn't feel good for two or three months ā€” I would say to take a step back, if you can."

BIG STEP FOR CHINA'S MEN

Teenage qualifier Shang Juncheng became the first Chinese man to win a main-draw match at the Australian Open in the professional era, beating Germany's Oscar Otte 6-2, 6-4, 6-7 (2), 7-5.

ā€œI think itā€™s huge for Chinese menā€™s tennis,ā€ said the 17-year-old Shang, who hit 34 winners. ā€œWe have had really good players from the womenā€™s side, but not really big names in the menā€™s."

Added Shang: ā€œHopefully we can do something big in the future.ā€

Shang, the 2021 U.S. Open junior runner-up, is the first 17-year-old to win his first Grand slam match since current No. 1-ranked Carlos Alcaraz did it at the Australian Open two years ago.

ā€œQuite a big accomplishment,ā€ Shang said. ā€œLooking up to Carlos, heā€™s the best player in the world right now. Just watching him play on the court really inspires me, inspires the young, young players.ā€

China placed three men in the main draw of a Grand Slam event for the first time.

Wu Yibing lost his first-round match to France's Corentin Moutet on Monday. Zhang Zhizhen plays American Ben Shelton on Tuesday.

WATCHING THE BILLS

Jessica Pegula prepared for her first-round victory at the Australian Open by watching on TV as the Buffalo Bills edged the Miami Dolphins 34-31 in their opening game of the NFL playoffs.

The No. 3-seeded Pegula, whose parents own the Bills and the NHL's Sabres, said she woke up at 7 a.m. Monday in Melbourne ā€” which was 3 p.m. Sunday in New York ā€” and watched most of the second half before going on to defeat Jacqueline Cristian 6-0, 6-1 at Margaret Court Arena.

ā€œIt was a tough game. Not the prettiest of wins," Pegula said about the Bills. ā€œDefinitely an ugly win, I think.ā€

ā€œItā€™s like first game, playoffs, everyone is kind of nervous, a lot of tension," she added, likening it to the jitters before an initial match at a Grand Slam tournament.

ā€œIt was fun obviously for them to get that win before I went on court," Pegula said. "It wouldnā€™t have really affected me, I donā€™t think, but I would have just been annoyed that they lost.ā€

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Associated Press freelancer Simon Cambers contributed to this report.

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Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter at https://twitter.com/HowardFendrich

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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports


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