WATCH: "She's screaming" - Opponent fuming over Andreescu's scream
WTA
Marie Bouzkova complained about Bianca Andreescu screaming during a point in their opening-round match at the Australian Open, arguing that it hindered her.
Andreescu hopes to return to the level that saw her storm to the 2019 US Open title as a 19-year-old this year. She stepped away from the sport for six months, from October 2021 until April 2022, after struggling since winning her maiden Grand Slam title.
Since returning from that break, the Canadian's fortunes have been mixed. Her best moment was reaching the final of the Bad Homburg Open in June. Andreescu narrowly lost to WTA Finals champion Caroline Garcia.
Although her effort and application have been excellent since returning, Andreescu's results throughout the rest of 2022 were not as impressive, and she was probably happy to make a fresh start in 2023.
Facing the seeded Bouzkova at the Australian Open was a good test of where her level is at. Andreescu answered those questions emphatically by beating the gritty Czech 6-2, 6-4 after an excellent performance in front of the fans on Court 3.
Andreescu and Bouzkova are among the most affable players on the WTA Tour. That meant the incident between the pair that led to Bouzkova complaining to the umpire was surprising.
As can be seen in the video below, Andreescu let out a loud scream when hitting a passing shot at 4-4, 30-30. It probably did not impact Bouzkova's attempt to hit a volley but the Czech was still unhappy.
Bouzkova complained about the scream from Andreescu, who shouted, "I'm sorry" from the other side of the net. The umpire told Bouzkova that she did not think the scream impacted her volley, meaning her protests achieved nothing.
Although Bouzkova won the next point, Andreescu eventually broke and served out the match to seal her 6-2, 6-4 triumph.
