{"id":449689,"date":"2025-09-25T05:46:21","date_gmt":"2025-09-25T05:46:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/449689\/"},"modified":"2025-09-25T05:46:21","modified_gmt":"2025-09-25T05:46:21","slug":"former-grand-slam-champion-loses-first-match-since-returning-from-injury-at-the-china-open","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/449689\/","title":{"rendered":"Former Grand Slam champion loses first match since returning from injury at the China Open"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The China Open is now underway as the stars of the WTA Tour look to impress in Beijing.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Nine Grand Slam champions made the trip to Beijing for the ninth WTA<\/a> 1000 tournament of the year.<\/p>\n

The likes of Coco Gauff<\/a>, Iga Swiatek, and Naomi Osaka all received byes into the second round and are set to begin their campaigns on Friday, September 26.<\/p>\n

\"CocoPhoto by Robert Prange\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Unseeded former champions such as Barbora Krejcikova<\/a> have already played their first-round matches, with the Czech star winning her opener in straight sets.<\/p>\n

Not everyone made it through, however, as the 2019 US Open<\/a> champion lost her first match since returning from injury.<\/p>\n

Former US Open champion Bianca Andreescu loses in the first round of the China Open<\/p>\n

Canada\u2019s Bianca Andreescu last played a match at her home Canadian Open<\/a>, defeating Krejcikova in round one.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, she was unable to play her second-round match, as she withdrew from the tournament due to injury.<\/p>\n

Failing to recover in time, Andreescu was forced to skip the US Open as well, instead making her return to tennis in China.<\/p>\n

Entering the China Open with her protected ranking, Andreescu took on qualifier Anna Bondar in the first round.<\/p>\n

Both players struggled on serve throughout the match, which finished late at night in front of a sparse crowd on Beijing\u2019s \u2018Diamond Court\u2019.<\/p>\n\nPlayer<\/strong><\/td>\nAces<\/strong><\/td>\nDouble faults<\/strong><\/td>\n1st Serve %<\/strong><\/td>\nWin % on 1st Serve<\/strong><\/td>\nWin % on 2nd Serve<\/strong><\/td>\nBreak points<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\nBianca Andreescu<\/td>\n1<\/td>\n2<\/td>\n68%<\/td>\n49%<\/td>\n45%<\/td>\n5\/6<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\nAnna Bondar<\/td>\n6<\/td>\n3<\/td>\n56%<\/td>\n61%<\/td>\n48%<\/td>\n6\/8<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

Serving stats from Bianca Andreescu vs Anna Bondar<\/p>\n

Despite breaking late on in the second set to force a tiebreaker, Andreescu couldn\u2019t take a set off the Hungarian, as she lost 4-6, 6-7 [4-7].<\/p>\n

\"BiancaPhoto by Fred Lee\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Andreescu was understandably disappointed with the defeat, in stark contrast to her delighted opponent.<\/p>\n

Making her way through to the second round as a qualifier, Bondar took the time to share some kind words about Andreescu after the match.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s an amazing player, she had great results in the past, I know she\u2019s coming back from injury, but I\u2019m just super happy with my performance today and how I managed to stay strong in the key moments,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m super happy coming from qualifying to be in the second round. It\u2019s my second time here.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m grateful to the people who stayed and watched us. It\u2019s super late, so I really appreciate that you guys stayed to cheer for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bondar will now rest up ahead of her second-round match against Veronika Kudermetova on Friday, but where will we see Andreescu play next?<\/p>\n

Bianca Andreescu will play qualifying in Wuhan<\/p>\n

Unlike Beijing [96], the upcoming Wuhan Open is a 56-player draw.<\/p>\n

Therefore, Andreescu\u2019s protected ranking isn\u2019t strong enough to see her gain direct entry into the main draw.<\/p>\n

She will instead have to advance through qualifying, something she has struggled with so far in 2025.<\/p>\n

\"BiancaPhoto by Robert Prange\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Andreescu failed to advance to the main draw of both the French Open<\/a> and Wimbledon this year, suffering two devastating defeats.<\/p>\n