(Reuters) – Bianca Andreescu said she was pleased to earn her first main draw win at Wimbledon at the third attempt, five years on from a nervous debut at the grasscourt Grand Slam.
Both of the Canadian’s previous appearances at the All England Club had ended in first-round exits – to Kristina Kucova in 2017 and Alize Cornet last year.
But the 2019 U.S. Open champion needed less than an hour to beat Emina Bektas 6-1 6-3 on Tuesday.
“I was talking to my trainer about my first time at Wimbledon, and it was great. At my first three qualifiers, I was killing it,” Andreescu told reporters.
“I go to the main site and I completely froze.
“I remember I could not put a forehand on the court. So looking back at that and finally getting a win here in the main draw means a lot to me. That was like five years ago.
“It was my first Grand Slam too. I didn’t really think I would really do anything, but now I have bigger dreams.”
The 22-year-old, who returned to action in Stuttgart in April following a six-month mental health hiatus, faces Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina in the second round.
“(Rybakina is) playing really good tennis right now. I think her game really suits the grass, so I’m expecting a tough match,” she added.
“I have practiced with her a couple of times – not on grass – so I kind of know how she hits. I know she fights really hard, so I’ve got to fight harder.”
(Reporting by Hritika Sharma in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
