Bianca Andreescu, playing her first tournament since August (!), is into the 3rd round at #RolandGarros. Incredible 1-6, 7-5, 6-3 win over seeded Anna Kalinskaya. Great embrace at the net between the two friends
Bianca
Andreescu (No. 228) defeated Anna Kalinskaya (No. 25) by 1-6, 7-5, 6-3 and
advanced to the third round of the French Open. The Canadian overcame a weak
first set and turned the match around against the Russian to reach the third
round of a Grand Slam once again.
This is
just Andreescu's first tournament since the Canadian Open back in August 2023.
The former world No. 4 dropped in the rankings to outside the top 200 but
showed she still has the level to compete with the best players in the world.
Adverse start for Andreescu
In the
first set, Kalinskaya dominated with strong service games while Andreescu could
do little to control her opponent's effectiveness. The Russian tennis player
had an 80% first-serve rate and won 80% of them, while Andreescu barely reached
50%.
The
Canadian managed to save three break points against her in her first service
game, but it was the only game she won. Kalinskaya went on to win 14
consecutive points and finished with a comfortable set of 6-1.
From the
second set onwards, things changed for Andreescu, who improved her first-serve
effectiveness and, despite struggling a bit more than Kalinskaya, managed to
maintain equality throughout the set. With no breaks from either side, a
tie-break seemed inevitable, but Andreescu got the break at the right moment to
take the set 7-5.
In the
third set, break points were on both sides as both players conceded
opportunities to their opponent. Andreescu saved the 6 break points she faced,
while Kalinskaya faced the same amount but only saved 5. That single break was
the definitive advantage for the Canadian to achieve her second consecutive
victory (1-6, 7-5, 6-3) and return to the third round of Roland Garros.
So far Andreescu has never advanced beyond the third round at Roland Garros.
Stearns surprises and Paolini advances confidently
Stearns continues in excellent form by securing her 7th consecutive victory. This time it was her best win yet, as she defeated Daria Kasatkina (10th seed), her first victory over a top-15 player. Stearns clinched the match 7-5, 6-2 and remains on a hot streak after capturing the title at the WTA 250 Rabat Open last week. She awaits the winner between Azarenka and Andreeva.
On the other hand, Italian Jasmine Paolini continues to show the progress she made this year. Although she had a surprising early exit in the first round of her last tournament, the Rome Open (where she was the top local hope), fortunes changed for the Italian at Roland Garros. The 12th seed defeated Hailey Baptiste and for the first time reaches the third round of the French Open.
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Latest Comments
- Who is making up these rankings btw?
AceOfBase23-11-2024 - Paolini remarkably low. Must have won tons of matches against lower ranked players. Kind of like these rankings. Seem to be more fair.MrAndreeva23-11-2024
- Why does Tennisuptodate feel like her PR Department's constant deluge of daily/weekly media submissions are 'tennis news' ?
mandoist19-11-2024 - 'Apologies', in cases like this where people are caught being their True Selves, are best shoved up their butts.mandoist19-11-2024
- Paolini playing Swiatek and then has to come back an hour later to play doubles. The BJ Cup is like the rest of tennis entrepreneurs.PalopoDave18-11-2024
