Welcome back to the Billie Jean King Cup, Bianca Andreescu.
The former US Open champion was victorious in her first match for Team Canada since 2022, defeating Kazakhstan's Sonja Zhiyenbayeva in straight sets in the second singles match of the Qualifiers tie in Astana on Friday.
It was a much-needed win for the visiting Canadians after Yulia Putintseva put Kazakhstan up 1-0 with a win over Canada’s Kayla Cross in the opening match of the tie. The two nations will head into Saturday even at one.
Despite not having suited up for her country in three and a half years, Andreescu looked right at home in her role as Canada’s No. 1 on Friday. Up against a 19-year-old opponent in Zhiyenbayeva, Andreescu was the steadier of the two, getting the job done when she needed to and securing a 6-4, 7-6(4) win.
With her team leading and the home crowd at her back, Zhiyenbayeva started pushing right from the start. After opening the match with a hold, the teen went up love-40 in Andreescu’s first service game. However, the Canadian blasted her way out of the jam with a couple of big serves and a backhand swinging volley winner to stunt the Kazakhstani’s early momentum.
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Andreescu immediately turned the tables after that big hold, putting the teen under pressure in the following game. At deuce, Zhiyebayeva missed a forehand wide to give the Canadian a look at a break point, where she caught the Kazakhstani in no-man's land, looping a forehand past her for a winner.
While she missed two chances to break for the set at 5-3, one break of serve was enough for Andreescu. She never trailed on serve after securing her break and converted her first set point on her own delivery with a cutting serve that Zhiyenbayeva could not handle.
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Holds of serve proved tough to come by for both women early in the second set. The first four games were all breaks, with Zhiyenbayeva not even winning a point on her own serve until her third service game. Despite breaking her opponent to love in each of her first two return games, Andreescu was unable to consolidate either time.
After both finally held in their third service games, Andreescu had a look at a third love break in four return games as she went up love-40 in the seventh game. Staring down a second serve, the Canadian stepped in and ripped a forehand return winner down the line to once again go up a break. The third time was the charm when it came to consolidating, as she managed to hold to love, capping it off with a spectacular volley that nearly spun backwards into the net after landing on her opponent’s side.
However, the Mississaugan still struggled to maintain the lead. Serving for the match at 5-4, she fell behind love-40 and missed a backhand long on the second break point to give Zhiyenbayeva a reprieve. The match then seemed destined for a third set when Andreescu threw away her first two service points in the tiebreak as she fell behind 0-4. But the former US Open champion showed her mettle, reeling off seven points in a row to draw Canada even in the tie, finishing it off with back-to-back winners.
Cross Comeback Bid Falls Short
Team Canada found themselves in an early hole in the Qualifiers tie after Kayla Cross was beaten in the opening singles match by Kazakhstani No. 1 Yulia Putintseva in straight sets earlier on Friday.
A hot run that started midway through the first set put Putintseva in the driver’s seat and, despite a fierce comeback in the second set, Cross was never able to derail the host’s top player. Putintseva hung on to secure a 6-3, 7-5 win for the opening point in the tie.
Bianca Andreescu will look to strike back for the visitors in the second singles match against Kazakhstan’s Sonja Zhiyenbayeva.
Putintseva kept Cross under constant pressure, winning 46 per cent of the Canadian’s first-serve points and 40 per cent of her seconds. The Kazakhstani held eight break points in the match, converting five, while saving four of the six she faced on her own delivery.
Early on, the two women were matching each other shot for shot. Through the first six games, neither managed to get any kind of lead on return as they each held comfortably up to 3-3.
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That’s where Putintseva seized control. In the seventh game, the forehand abandoned Cross and three misses off that wing gifted the Kazakhstani the first break of the match. The break kicked off a run of seven consecutive games for Putintseva, taking her from 3-all in the first to up a set and double break at 4-0 in the second.
A break in the final game of the first set gave the Kazakhstani No. 1 the momentum heading into the second, where she went up love-40 in Cross’ first service game. A drop shot winner on the second break point gave her the early edge.
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Cross was throwing everything at Putintseva, mixing in lobs, varying her pace and trajectory, even coming to net when the opportunity presented itself, but nothing seemed to be breaking down the Kazakhstani. The Canadian did have three chances to break right back in the third game but Putintseva held her ground. The host then punished her young opponent by immediately scoring a second break of the set in the following game.
Finally, Cross was able to secure a break in the fifth game, snapping Putintseva’s run. However, the Kazakhstani kept rolling on return, breaking for a third time in the set and fifth in a row to go up 5-1.
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With her back against the wall, the Canadian dug in. The first time Putintseva served for the match at 5-3, Cross went up 15-40 and put away a forehand volley on the second break point to stay alive. At 5-3 when the Kazakhstani served for it again, Putintseva held two match points at 40-15 but Cross came up big, crushing her return on the first and ripping a huge forehand down the line on the second. Putintseva then missed back-to-back forehands long to put them back on serve.
Drawing level proved to be a challenge, but Cross found a way. Serving for 5-5, she let a 40-love lead slip away and twice found herself down match point at 40-AD, but the Londoner conjured up big serves on both and she eventually held.
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After seeing her big lead slip away, Putintseva managed to reset. A hold to love once again put her within a game of victory and she went after it on Cross’ serve in the 12th game. The Kazakhstani went up love-30 and fired a forehand winner to create a fifth match point at 30-40. This time, Cross could not find a big serve and ended up driving a sitting forehand into the net.
Saturday’s action will start at 1:00 pm local, 4:00 am eastern in Canada, with the doubles. Ariana Arseneault and Sasha Vagramov are expected to represent Canada, taking on Anna Danilina and Zhibek Kulambayeva. The singles match between the two No. 1s, Andreescu and Putintseva, will follow. If necessary, Cross and Zhiyenbayeva have been nominated to play the fifth and final match. Whichever country wins two matches on Saturday will win the tie and advance to the Finals.
CLICK HERE for everything you need to know about Canada’s Billie Jean King Cup Qualifiers tie with Kazakhstan.
Feature Photo : ITF
