Andreescu’s ‘Aha moment’ made Australian Open win possible

By HOWARD FENDRICH
AP Tennis Writer

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Bianca Andreescu has defeated the 25th-seeded Marie Bouzkova at the Australian Open. Andreescu traces the path that brought her back to the tennis tour after a mental health break to what she calls “an ‘Aha’ moment” on a beach in Costa Rica during a spiritual retreat nearly a year ago. The 22-year-old Canadian beat Serena Williams in the 2019 U.S. Open final as a teenager. But then she went through a series of health issues, including catching COVID-19, that derailed her career in 2020 and slowed her in 2021, too. She also split from her long-time coach. All in all, there was a lot going on and she went six months without playing a match from October 2021 to April 2022, including sitting out last year’s Australian Open.