Going the distance: Where Andreescu ranks among the hardest-working WTA stars

Peyton Stearns tops the list of players whose matches go to three sets most often on the WTA Tour

Bianca Andreescu at Roland-Garros in 2023 (Zuma/Panoramic)

June 3, 2024

Bianca Andreescu made a welcome return to the tennis circuit at Roland-Garros this year and despite a 10-month absence through injury, the Canadian showed her level is right there by reaching the third round.

Ever since she burst onto the world scene by winning the US Open in 2019, the 23-year-old’s career has been beset by injuries, most recently a stress fracture in her back.

Her battling qualities have never been in doubt but it has been noticeable in the past few years just how tough it’s been for her to grind out her wins. Two of her three matches at Roland-Garros went to three sets, a familiar feeling for her. While Petra Kvitova was nicknamed “P3tra” one year when she seemed to go the distance every match, Andreescu is among the women who have had to work extra hard for their wins in recent years.

In fact, stats from the WTA – going back to 2017 – show that Andreescu has gone three sets in 44.3 percent of her matches. That’s a lot of tennis.

However, it puts her only third in the list, which is topped by Peyton Stearns, the American who also reached the third round in Paris this year. Stearns has gone to three sets a whopping 52 percent of the time, in the same timeframe. Katie Volynets comes next, then it’s Andreescu, followed by Viktorija Golubic and then Taylor Townsend.

Percentage of Grand Slam/WTA matches going to three sets, since 2017 (min: 50 matches):

Peyton Stearns	52%
Katie Volynets	49.1%
Bianca Andreescu	44.3%
Viktorija Golubic	43.8%
Taylor Townsend	43%

By contrast, and not altogether surprisingly given their rankings, the world’s top four get the job done far more easily. World No 1 Iga Swiatek goes three sets less often than she bagels an opponent. Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff and Elena Rybakina all have exceptional records.

Percentage of Grand Slam/WTA matches going to three sets among top 4 since 2017 (min: 50 matches played):

Iga Swiatek	23%
Aryna Sabalenka	37.3%
Coco Gauff	29.6%
Elena Rybakina	34.2%

Stats: WTA Tour

Of course, it’s the results that matter most of all, but when you have to play three sets in almost half of your matches, you’re spending more energy and making more effort than might be sustainable, with injuries more likely, in theory, when you spend more time on court.