Bianca Andreescu defeated local favorite Federica Urgesi in straight sets in the first round of the Italian Open on Wednesday, May 7. The Canadian was overjoyed at her 2025 comeback picking up steam, going by a video of her celebrating with one of her team members that has begun doing the rounds on social media.
Andreescu made her much-awaited return to the WTA Tour at the Open de Rouen last month after a prolonged absence from the circuit due to an emergency appendectomy procedure. The 2019 US Open champion won her first match in nearly six months at the Madrid Open but has since struggled to go deep at tournaments.
Bianca Andreescu is looking to change that at Foro Italico this week and has shown positive signs, mowing down Italian wildcard Federica Urgesi 6-3, 6-0 in one hour and 11 minutes to advance to the second round of the 1000-level event in Rome. With her win, the 24-year-old improved to a 2-2 win/loss record in tour-level matches (not including Challenger tournaments).
A video of Andreescu jubilantly hugging one of her team members in the buggy ride to her accommodation has since emerged on X, giving fans a more intimate look into how much a single victory meant to the former World No. 4, who has seen her career severely impacted by one injury after another.
The Canadian, currently ranked outside the women’s top 100, will next face 19th-seeded Donna Vekic for a place in the third round of the 2025 Italian Open. The two players have only met once at the Paris Olympics, where the Croat defeated her lower-ranked opponent 6-3, 6-4 en route to silver in women’s singles.
Bianca Andreescu was making strides in 2024 after successful comeback from back injury
Bianca Andreescu finished runner-up at the Libema Open 2024 | Image Source: Getty
Bianca Andreescu finished runner-up at the Libema Open 2024 | Image Source: Getty
Bianca Andreescu was previously sidelined due to a back injury from August 2023 to May 2024, which led to her falling outside the WTA top 200 rankings. Not to be deterred by her ranking setback, the 24-year-old reached the third round at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, while also making it to her seventh career final at the Libema Open between the two Majors.
Although Andreescu has since gotten her ranking in the vicinity of the women’s top 10, she needs to stay on top of her physical conditioning to make more inroads this season. The Canadian can perhaps take respite in the fact that she is a former quarterfinalist in Rome (2022) and play pressure-free tennis this week.