French Open: Laura Robson heaps praise on Bianca Andreescu after win over Anna Kalinskaya at Roland-Garros - ‘She can do

ByJames Hilsum

Published 01/06/2024 at 10:49 GMT

Bianca Andreescu appears to be getting back close to her highest level after beating Anna Kalinskaya in three sets, dumping the world No. 25 out. Laura Robson highlighted the way in which the Canadian has added different aspects to her game, and hopes the 23-year-old can build some much-needed momentum at Roland-Garros. Andreescu continues her French Open campaign against Jasmine Paolini.

Laura Robson heaped praise on Bianca Andreescu after the Canadian continued her French Open campaign with a pulsating three-set win over Anna Kalinskaya and claimed "she can do everything".

The Eurosport tennis expert has been mightily impressed by the variety in the Andreescu game and hopes she can turn a corner after being plagued by injuries in recent months.

“The match against Anna Kalinskaya in the last round was so tight,” Robson told Eurosport.

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Robson continued: “Last year when Bianca was playing, we saw her lose a lot of those close matches where it went to three sets because she was maybe trying to play a way which didn't suit her so much.

“She struggled to come through them, but I think she's learned she wants to bring the variety back to her game.

“She was talking before the tournament about a lot of the coaches she's had recently wanting to turn her into a big hitter; she definitely has the ability to do that, but part of what makes her so fun to watch is that she can do everything.

“She wants to bring back the drop shots, the slices, the angles to keep herself entertained and make it fun on court.

“We saw a lot of that against Kalinskaya. To be honest, I'm so happy to see her back because she's struggled so much with injury over the last few years and if anyone deserves to be healthy, it's Andreescu.”

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The 23-year-old has already claimed a Grand Slam title after winning the 2019 US Open, and Robson highlighted how injuries have been detrimental to her progress.

“She's won a Grand Slam, but the consistency has been missing because of the injuries,” Robson added.

“There are so many players that it's happened to, but hopefully there are good times ahead of her. She's back on tour, is mentally fresh and long may this continue."

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Robson also wants to see the Canadian adopt even more of an extravagant style on court, saying that helps to bring out the best performances from Andreescu“It's almost like two mentalities where she has this showmanship on court," Robson said. "But she's pretty quiet in the locker room in the way she goes about her business.

“I would love to see more energy on the court because that's when she plays her best tennis and is more pumped up about her tennis and plays the big points well.

“That's when you're going to play your best.”

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