Andreescu relishing challenge of facing Swiatek in blockbuster Rome quarterfinal

After taking a short break from tennis, Bianca Andreescu is making a comeback as she defeated Petra Martic at the Internazionali BNL D'Italia Rome to reach her first WTA 1000 quarterfinal in over a year.

The Canadian returned to action in Stuttgart last month following a six-month mental health hiatus, and is making her debut in Rome. Andreescu's last appearance in a WTA quarterfinal was also her only previous run to the last eight on clay, at the WTA 250 in Strasbourg last year. This result marks her first WTA 1000 quarterfinal since reaching the 2021 Miami final.

However, the 2019 US Open champion faces a difficult task as she is set to battle World No.1 Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinals. Swiatek has been almost untouchable this year, accumulating a 25-match winning streak that dates back to her title run in Doha in February. Nonetheless, Andreescu appears confident in her game and is looking forward to the challenge of facing an in-form Swiatek.

"She's playing great tennis. I really admire her success. But I'm very excited to player her. I love the challenge," admitted Andreescu. "It's really nice to see that we started in the juniors together and watching us both excel at the same time is awesome."

This will be the first meeting between both ladies on the WTA circuit.