Rome, May 13 -- China's Zheng Qinwen advanced to the quarterfinals of the WTA Italian Open for the third consecutive year after defeating former US Open champion Bianca Andreescu in straight sets 7-5, 6-1.
The pair had previously faced off at the WTA 1000 event in Toronto in 2022, where Zheng edged out a three-set victory.
Eighth seed Zheng made a strong start on Monday, racing into a 3-0 lead in the opening set. Andreescu managed to hold serve, and the two then exchanged breaks in the fifth and sixth
games.
Zheng double-faulted in the seventh game to hand Andreescu a break. The Canadian took full advantage, holding and breaking again to move ahead 5-4.
Zheng regrouped at a critical moment, breaking back in the tenth game and then ...