Andreescu wins in return as Canada, Kazakhstan split Billie Jean King Cup opener

Bianca Andreescu delivered in her return for Canada against Kazakhstan, winning her singles match on the opening day of a two-day Billie Jean King Cup qualifier in Astana.

The Mississauga, Ont., product beat Sonja Zhiyenbayeva 6-4, 7-6 (4) to earn Canada's lone point Friday.

Andreescu, 25, was playing her first Billie Jean King Cup tie since 2022 following a string of injuries.

The 2019 U.S. Open champion erased a 0-4 deficit in the second-set tiebreak, winning seven straight points to close out the match against Zhiyenbayeva, ranked 1,023rd in the world, on the indoor clay court.

"It was definitely a tough match, but nothing surprising at this level," said Andreescu, ranked 130th. "You expect every player to show up, so I try to stay as consistent as I can throughout the match. In this kind of environment, with the crowd behind Kazakhstan, it may have helped her in certain moments.

"But I'm happy I was able to produce that level of tennis today and really happy to get the win."

Earlier, world No. 74 Yulia Putintseva topped Kayla Cross of London, Ont., 6-3, 7-5 to give Kazakhstan the early edge.

Cross, ranked 198th, fought back from 5-1 down in the second set, saving four match points to level the set at 5-5. But after holding to retake the lead, Putintseva earned a decisive break in the 12th game.

"When I was down 5-1, having the support from my team on the side of the court really helped me keep pushing, taking it one point at a time," Cross said. "It would've been nice to get that second set, but the fight was really good, and I'm really proud of it."

The best-of-five tie is 1-1 heading into Saturday, with the winner advancing to September's Billie Jean King Cup finals in Shenzhen, China.

Montreal's Felix