Bianca Andreescu’s much-anticipated return to the Grand Slam stage at the 2025 French Open ended in heartbreak as she crashed out in the qualifying rounds.
Despite storming through her opening match with a flawless double bagel, the Canadian’s dramatic second-round collapse to Japan’s Nao Hibino left fans reeling.
Fans React to Bianca Andreescu’s Qualifying Exit in Paris
After being sidelined for much of 2023 due to a nagging back injury and later suffering an abdominal issue last October, the 24-year-old was forced to withdraw from the 2025 Australian Open, derailing what would be a strong comeback year. She finally rejoined the tour this April at the Open de Rouen and steadily regained form.
A doubles title at the WTA 125 Catalonia Open helped restore some confidence. Her singles run at the Italian Open, where she ousted stars like Elena Rybakina and Donna Vekic before falling in the fourth round to Zheng Qinwen, signaled she was nearing top shape once again.
All signs pointed to a strong showing in Paris. Andreescu opened her qualifying campaign with a dominant 6-0, 6-0 win over China’s Yao Xinxin. But things took a dramatic turn during the second-round match against Hibino. Despite grabbing the first set 6-2 and holding match point in the second-set tiebreak, Andreescu couldn’t close.
Hibino clawed back to win 6-7(5), 6-4, delivering a stunner that saw her capitalize on the slow, heavy conditions and a visibly fading Andreescu. Fans, many of whom had long awaited Bibi’s return to Grand Slam tennis, were stunned into disbelief.
One fan vented their frustration, writing: “Who knew I could get pissed off with a qualifying match, hope andreescu plays a 125 during French open now.”
Who knew I could get pissed off with a qualifying match😭hope andreescu plays a 125 during French open now
— Jai | little mix made me broke (@VikaArynafansss) May 21, 2025
Others shared a more emotional reaction: “My god, Andreescu knocked out in French Open qualifying. Hope she can deal with it, we need her.”
My god, Andreescu knocked out in French Open qualifying. Hope she can deal with it, we need her.
— 🇺🇦🇪🇺Geoff#IMeHeYouRejoinEU (@garside_geoff) May 21, 2025
One fan highlighted the fine margins in the contest: “Tough tough loss for Andreescu. Give her opponent credit though. On all the key points she continued to hit and the depth was impressive.”
Tough tough loss for Andreescu. Give her opponent credit though. On all the key points she continued to hit and the depth was impressive.
— Stephanie Myles (@OpenCourt) May 21, 2025
Another provided a deeper analysis, saying, “Heartbreaker of a qualifying loss for Andreescu, who had a match point in the 2nd set and led in the tiebreak too. Hibino started to grow in confidence from then on, making herself hard to break down and the heavier conditions suiting her much more than Bibi later into it.”
Some reactions also had a nostalgic undertone, with one fan remarking, “She would never have lost this kind of match in 2019.”
Another simply wrote: “That’s a shame.”
Bianca Andreescu Opens Up About Battling Herself and Seeking Balance in Tennis
Bianca Andreescu said the insights she gained during her time off were helpful, but taking in too much information often made her overthink. In a recent Arab News interview, she admitted her quest for knowledge sometimes led to overanalysis.
“It is definitely great, but sometimes I can get too much in my head with all the information that I’m seeking. Because, yes, I have a lot of interests outside of the court, and that can be beneficial, but also not. Because if I go back to 2019, yes, I read books and stuff, but I was still in that era of ‘ignorance is bliss’, and sometimes that’s really nice, because I can definitely get into my head,” she said.
