Abanda draws Canada level with Kazakhstan with straight-set win at Fed Cup World playoff
Bianca Andreescu of Mississauga Ont., falls to Yulia Putintseva in gruelling 3 hour match
Canada's Francoise Abanda downed Kazakhstan's Yaroslava Shvedova 6-3, 6-4 on Saturday to end the day tied 1-1 at the Fed Cup World Group II playoff.
Bianca Andreescu of Mississauga, Ont., lost the first match of the day against Yulia Putintseva, 4-6, 6-4, 4-6.
Abanda played an aggressive style and relied on her strong service game to tally six aces throughout the match. She fired a crucial ace towards the end of the second set and converted on her fourth try to eventually take the match.
"I am very pleased with my result today," Abanda said. "It was an important match for Canada and I am glad that I was able to even out the score after Day 1. My game plan was to stay concentrated and to execute on all my shots. Today was a good day for me."
Right back in it! <a href="https://twitter.com/franckie12345">@franckie12345</a>'s straight sets win levels <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FedCup?src=hash">#FedCup</a> tie for Canada against Kazakhstan: <a href="https://t.co/At0dcDUI2v">https://t.co/At0dcDUI2v</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoCanada?src=hash">#GoCanada</a> <a href="https://t.co/fe9YnKTWkP">pic.twitter.com/fe9YnKTWkP</a>
—@TennisCanadaAndreescu fought back from down a set, but was ultimately unable to hold on against her No. 31-ranked opponent in a gruelling match that lasted almost three hours.
"For sure losing was disappointing but I fought until the end and I think that I played really good tennis," Andreescu said. "Just being here was so amazing for me. Being part of the team is such a privilege and I'm really grateful for that. I think today I showed that I can be at her level so I'm really happy with that."