Bianca Andreescu and Yulia Putinseva will take on each other in the round of 32 of the 2023 WTA Abu Dhabi Open on February 7.
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Just three days after retiring due to a right shoulder injury in the Hua Hin semifinal, Bianca Andreescu is prepared to play again. She took a plane to Thailand to put her Australian Open misfortune (a loss to Cristina Bucsa in the second round) behind her. There, she won three straight sets, including one over Marta Kostyuk, to advance to the final four. Only three quarterfinal-or-better finishes, including Rome (QF) and Bad Homburg (QF), had occurred since her return from a six-month break in April (F). The former world No. 4 is still consistent in the opening rounds, having won the first-round challenge in 14 of her last 15 competitions (lone exception being San Jose).
Yulia Putintseva hasn’t done anything to alter the perception that she’s been operating under the radar recently. She advanced as far as the Hobart quarterfinal before losing to Karolina Pliskova in the second round of the Australian Open and Heather Watson in the opening round of Hua Hin in a heartbreaking third-set tiebreak. Her WTA 1000 quarterfinal performance in Toronto and 14 victories in clay-court competitions the previous season are the only reasons she is still in the top 50. The Kazakh began her trip to Abu Dhabi with victories in straight sets; this is her second visit to the city, where she defeated Barbora Krejcikova and Martina Trevisan to advance to the third round in 2021.
| Bianca Andreescu vs Yulia Putinseva | Match details |
|---|---|
| Date | February 7, 2023 |
| Surface | Hard courts |
| Tournament | Abu Dhabi Open |
| Stage | Round of 32 |
| Time (India) | 10 pm |
| Time (Abu Dhabi) | 8:30 pm |
| Opponent | Score |
|---|---|
| Lesia Tsurenko | Walkover (L) |
| Marta Kostyuk | 6-0, 7-6 (W) |
| Anastasia Zakharova | 6-2, 7-5 (W) |
| Harriet Dart | 6-3, 6-4 (W) |
| Cristina Bucsa | 2-6, 7-6, 6-4 (L) |
| Opponent | Score |
|---|---|
| Nigina Abduraimova | 6-2, 6-2 (W) |
| Anastasia Zakharova | 6-2, 7-5 (W) |
| Heather Watson | 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 (L) |
| Karolina Pliskova | 6-0, 7-5 (L) |
| Sorana Cirstea | 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 (W) |
Yulia Putintseva has a 1-0 lead. It has been almost six years since she defeated a 16-year-old Bianca Andreescu in a BJK Cup match on indoor hard courts in Montreal, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4. As she begins her first-ever professional tournament in the UAE, it will be the Canadian’s turn to become the favourite.
| Tournament | Winner | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 Bille Jean King Cup | Yulia Putinseva | 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 |
Bianca Andreescu and Yulia Putinseva will take on each other in the round of 32 of the 2023 WTA Abu Dhabi Open on February 7.
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