I take every match as if it were a Grand Slam final," says Andreescu, who advanced to the second round of Roland-Garros qualifying

US Open 2019 champion Bianca Andreescu began her Roland-Garros campaign in the qualifying draw.

The Canadian, whose career has so far been hampered by injuries, has regained good form in recent weeks, notably reaching the round of 16 in Rome. On Monday, she cleared the first round of Roland-Garros qualifying with a dominant victory (6-0, 6-0) against Xinxin Yao.

Speaking to the tournament’s official website, she discussed her motivation to reach the main draw, which she has played in five times before:

"Obviously, I would have preferred to be in the main draw, but my ranking is what it is. So, it’s up to me to do the work to get through qualifying. On the court, I put all that aside. Now, I try to approach every match as if it were a Grand Slam final, no matter where I am.

I feel incredibly good, and I’m in a pretty good place too. I don’t have time to waste now. I won’t say it’s now or never because I’m only 24, but when I see all these young players coming up, I realize I’ve been on the tour for a long time.