The Canadian, who was just 19 when she became Grand Slam champion at the 2019 US Open, will enter the 2026 season at number 228 in the world.
It goes without saying that Andreescu’s ranking is far from good enough to enter directly into the main draw of a Grand Slam tournament.
After skipping the first four and a half months of the 2025 season, Andreescu attempted to reach the main draws of the French Open and Wimbledon through qualifying. Unfortunately for the Canadian, she was unsuccessful after qualifying defeats in the second round at Roland Garros and the Championships.
At the end of 2025, Andreescu took part in the qualifying of the WTA 1000 tournament in Wuhan. As at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, she failed to qualify after losing to Anastasia Zakharova in the qualifying final.
Andreescu admitted that taking part in qualifying was ‘a blow to the ego’
“It’s definitely a blow to the ego, but I have to put that aside. It’s been many years since I won the US Open, and so much has happened since then. I still have big ambitions. I know what I can achieve. So finding the balance between being patient and being that go-getter that I am to try and get back to the top is a bit tricky,” the former world number 4 told Tennis365 while competing in Wuhan.
After three failed qualifying attempts in 2025, Andreescu may have decided to return to the lower level – try to do well there – and slowly climb the rankings.
The 25-year-old Canadian will participate in the ITF Bradenton between January 12 and 18. The 2019 US Open champion is the highest-ranked player in the tournament’s field.
In the past, Andreescu has competed in the main draw at Melbourne Park three times, taking a second-round exit three times.
#Bianca #Andreescu #leaves #Australian #Open #qualifying #play #ITF #W35 #tournament