Bianca Andreescu saw a promising week end just short of a trophy on Saturday evening (ET) in Texas, losing the Austin 125 final in three sets. The Canadian fell 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 to Thailand’s Lanlana Tararudee, who entered the event through qualifying. The result still delivers a ranking lift for Bianca Andreescu as she continues playing smaller events in an effort to get back into more main draws.
Final result: Tararudee outlasts Bianca Andreescu in three sets
In the championship match, Tararudee, ranked No. 124 coming into the week, took the opening set 6-3 before Andreescu answered with a 3-6 second set to force a decider. Tararudee steadied in the third, breaking twice as Andreescu showed fatigue after a demanding week, and closed out the match 6-3 in one hour and 55 minutes.
Tararudee’s path to the title began in qualifying, where she came through without dropping a serve. She then beat Dalma Galfi, Caty McNally, and Anastasia Zakharova, and followed it with a semifinal victory over Kimberly Birrell, 6-4, 7-6, to reach the final.
Andreescu’s week in Austin: Badosa win, biggest final in two years
Andreescu’s run to Saturday’s final included three straight three-set matches, capped by a 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 semifinal win over Paula Badosa. The Austin 125 final marked Andreescu’s biggest final since losing to Liudmila Samsonova in the Netherlands in June 2024, a milestone moment in a career interrupted repeatedly by injury.
Andreescu’s ranking has slipped to No. 165 after several injury-plagued seasons, and she has been playing mostly smaller events this year. The 125 tournaments are the lowest level of tour events, and the points from this week are set to move her up to No. 146 next week.
Tararudee’s breakthrough and what the result changes next
For Tararudee, the win represents the biggest title of her career. The 21-year-old Thai left Austin as a champion after arriving through qualifying, and her week also carried a historic note: she is set to become the first Thai woman to break into the world’s top 100 since Luksika Kumkhum.
Tararudee had previously reached a WTA 125 final in Porto in 2025, and she made her Grand Slam main draw debut at the 2026 Australian Open after qualifying through three matches without dropping a set. She also claimed her sixth career ITF singles title on the way to this breakthrough.
What’s next: Miami qualifying on Sunday (ET)
The schedule turns quickly. Andreescu is scheduled to play a Miami Open qualifying match on Sunday (ET), while the tour moves to Miami next week. Earlier, Andreescu received a wild card into the BNP Paribas Masters in Indian Wells, California, and lost in the first round.
Saturday’s final loss stings, but the week in Austin still shifts the momentum and the math: Bianca Andreescu leaves with ranking points, a run to a final, and her next match already lined up in Miami.
