Canada’s Bianca Andreescu secured a spot in the second round of the Italian Open tennis tournament by defeating Sofia Kenin of the United States with a score of 6-4, 7-5 in Rome on Tuesday. Andreescu capitalized on her opportunities, converting five out of six break-point chances and delivering five aces during the one hour and 46-minute match.
Although Kenin also had six chances to break Andreescu’s serve, she only managed to convert three, bringing her head-to-head record against Andreescu to 2-5. Notably, Kenin had won their previous encounter last month at the Charleston Open.
Next, Andreescu, aged 25, is set to face off against the 12th seed, Belinda Bencic of Switzerland, in the WTA 1000 clay-court event on Wednesday at 4 a.m. ET. The upcoming match will be crucial as the players have evenly split their previous two meetings.
Hailing from Mississauga, Ontario, the former world No. 4 entered Rome ranked 137th on the WTA Tour after overcoming injuries in recent years. With a current season record of 21-8, Andreescu has primarily achieved success in the lower-tier WTA 125 and World Tennis Tour circuits.