"Very solid" Bianca Andreescu elated with start to Australian Open, looks forward to "inspiring" Iga Swiatek clash
Bianca Andreescu booked her spot in the second round of the 2023 Australian Open with ease, taking down 24th seed Marie Bouzkova in her opener. The Canadian was elated with herself for her display on Monday, remarking that she was as focused as she could ever be.
Speaking at her press conference afterwards, the former US Open champion had no qualms admitting that she had a "very solid" performance to start the tournament, adding that that was how she wanted to play every match.
Having lost her previous match in Adelaide after racing to a 4-0 lead early on against Veronika Kudermetova, Andreescu revealed that, after learning from that experience, she did not want to let down the intensity for even a moment.
"I think I played very solid today. Marie did pose a challenge, but I'm just very grateful with how I dealt with that challenge. I was very focused from A to Z, and that's how I want to play every match basically, so hopefully I can keep the momentum," Andreescu said. "I was very motivated considering my last match. I definitely didn't want to give her any room to kind of come back."
The 22-year-old could take on World No. 1 Iga Swiatek in the third round, a "fun" clash she looks forward to. Hailing the Pole as an inspiration for her consistency, Bianca Andreescu stated that she had worked "really, really hard" to be ready for the encounter.
"I think I did see something on Twitter, though. Possible matchup between me and her. That will be fun, if I get there. I've worked really, really hard, and I know what I'm capable of.
"So looking at Iga, someone like her, it's very motivating and inspiring because, I mean, it's something hard to do in tennis to be consistent like that. So I definitely condone her. It definitely motivates me, and like I said, I know I can be back in that position like I was in 2019 and hopefully even better," Bianca Andreescu said.
"At the end of the day I want to win every match" - Bianca Andreescu
Bianca Andreescu further stated in the press conference that she wanted to win every single match at the end of the day, even if she knew that could never happen. But after a performance like the one against Marie Bouzkova on Monday, the Canadian could not help but be optimistic about the future.
"At the end of the day I want to win every match. I know that's not a reality. There will definitely be lots of losses," Andreescu said. "But yeah, just having a match like this, I keep saying it, under my belt, especially in a Grand Slam, hopefully will just keep my momentum going."
The former World No. 4 touched on how there were no "ups and downs" during the match, reveling in the fact that she dominated the entire encounter from start to finish. With her confidence boosted, Andreescu appeared "super excited" for the rest of the tournament and for the remainder of the season to come.
"Having these kind of matches really help with my confidence because it was kind of just very level throughout the whole match," Andreescu said. "There weren't any ups and downs, which can kind of happen in my matches, so I'm just very, very happy with how it turned out. Yeah, I'm just super excited. I have nothing bad to say about my match. I'm very, very happy."