Bianca Andreescu has returned to the winner’s circle on the WTA Tour for the first time in eight months after coming through her opening match at the Charleston Open.
Andreescu, who won the 2019 US Open and has been ranked as high as fourth in the world, battled back from a set down to defeat Hungary’s Dalma Gálfi 4-6, 6-4, 6-1. The win marks the first time she has won a WTA main draw match since last summer’s Canadian Open in Montreal. The Canadian is currently ranked 140th in the world and is targeting a return to the world’s top 100 for the first time since May.
“It wasn’t easy. I played her a few weeks back. I knew it was going to be an interesting matchup because she’s a very tricky player,” Andreescu told The Tennis Channel.
“I’m just super happy with how I bounced back. I played a (WTA) 125 recently and obviously the court size is different.
“I think the first set was more me kind of adjusting to that and she played well, too. But, I picked it back up and I’m just super happy.”
The 24-year-old was a rising star of women’s tennis with many tipping her to reach the top after becoming her country’s first Grand Slam singles champion at the age of 19. However, over the years, her trajectory in the sport has been marred by various injury setbacks, as well as a brief break from the sport for mental health reasons.
Andreescu opted to start 2026 by playing in the lower-level events, which have brought her success. She has won two ITF titles at a W75 and W30 in Florida. More recently, she was runner-up at a WTA 125 in Austin, Texas.
“I thought it was a great decision,” she commented on her scheduling decision.
“I had no expectations about winning or losing. My goal was to just get as many matches in as possible and implement what I’ve been working on with my new coach in practice in matches.
“I think I did that really well.
“Obviously, winning is a nice quantifiable thing to have and to know that the hard work you’re putting in makes a difference.
“You don’t want to base your happiness on results, but results can give you a quantifiable meaning to the work you’re putting in.”
Andreescu is currently coached on the Tour by Dusan Vemic, a former top 40 doubles player who has also previously worked with Novak Djokovic. She is now entering a new stage of her career, but admits there is still plenty of work to be done.
“I’ve changed a lot for sure. I have a new team and I’m not going to say I have it all figured out, but I’m learning more about myself and I think that’s just been the theme of the last year and a half,” she explains.
“Implementing what I feel is right in the moment and trusting the people that I have in my life, of course, and it’s been working well. It’s just that consistency that I want to keep having.”
In Charleston, Andreescu will next play 16th seed Sofia Kenin.
