Down a break in the decider, Bianca Andreescu re-surged to win her opening round match at National Bank Open 2021. She beat British professional Harriet Dart 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 in two hours and six minutes. Correspondingly, Tennis Channel presenters Eugenie Bouchard and Andy Roddick praised her performance.

A former professional tennis star, Roddick explained why Andreescu typically goes to three sets. He even called her a “diesel engine.” 

A lot of things have changed since Andreescu won the Canadian Open in 2019. In addition to the location shifting to Montreal, the 21-year-old had also won the match in front of 5000 fans instead of 15,000 to 20,000.

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Eugenie Bouchard and Andy Roddick on Bianca Andreescu

Speaking on the Tennis Channel, Roddick said that it was great to see Andreescu again. In addition, he explained that if she gets going in the same spirit, her competitors should take caution.

“She emotes, brings everyone into the gutter with her… making it a little bit of a brawl. You can tell when she is not happy; you can tell when she is pumped up about something. I thought that reaction… at the end of the match wasn’t as if she just won the first round of any tournament; it was a relief. It was joy,” Roddick said.

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“She needs these matches,” the American continued. “She is a little bit like a diesel engine; it takes a bit to get going, kind of loves these three-setters, the street fight nature of them.”

While calling the 2003 US Open champion’s analogy “a bit intense,” Canadian Eugenie Bouchard agreed with Roddick. She also pointed out that it was Andreescu’s first match with the new coach.

“She loves to fight and dig deep and get into those battles,” Bouchard said. “I think that is where she excels the most. You often see her coming back in the third set, where you don’t expect it, and she does it. But it was her first match with her new coach Sven Groeneveld, and so, they are off to a good start.”

As per the draw, Andreescu will take on the winner between Ons Jabeur and Daria Kasatkina in the third round. Do you think she will go on to defend her Rogers Cup title this year?

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