Bianca Andreescu finds consistency: First back-to-back wins since injury layoff

Bianca Andreescu secured a notable victory against Donna Vekic 6-1, 3-6, 6-2 and advances to the third round of the Rome Open. The former world No. 4 achieves consecutive wins for the first time since October 2024, before she decided to take another break from her career to recover from her recurring back injury that has plagued her throughout her career.

Furthermore, regarding WTA 1000 tournaments, the last time she achieved consecutive wins was at the 2023 Miami Open, where she reached the 4th round, retiring due to injury while facing Ekaterina Alexandrova. Her next opponent will be none other than Elena Rybakina, against whom she has a negative head-to-head record of 0-3.

Andreescu quickly showed great intensity on the court, starting the match with a long service game where she wasted two break point opportunities. The former US Open champion nevertheless began to suggest a good performance with her serve, showing notable consistency.

The Canadian quickly achieved a good run of games, comfortably holding her serve and taking advantage of the opportunities offered by the Croatian, who was far from her usual level for a player who is usually consistent on serve. Vekic had a first set to forget on her serve, landing only 33% of her first serves, winning just 44% of those points and 39% on her second serve. Without complications, Andreescu took the set 6-1 after just 33 minutes, and it didn't seem like she would slow down against a frustrated Vekic.

Vekic reset things in the second set, securing an early break and then coming back from 0-40 to take a 2-0 lead. Vekic began to show improvement, increasing her first serve effectiveness to over 80%. Andreescu maintained composure on her serve during the following games, holding securely as she had shown earlier in the first set.

With the score 4-3 in Vekic's favor, Andreescu obtained a couple of break chances, but body serves led her to make errors when she could have recovered. Finally, Vekic's 5-3 lead put pressure on the former Grand Slam champion, and after three set points, she managed to level the match, taking the set 6-3. The 2024 silver medalist went from a poor 38% of service points won to 64%.

Andreescu was the first to secure a pair of break point opportunities in the third set and then took the lead 3-1 on her serve. The Canadian continued with a first serve effectiveness rate above 75%, and Vekic couldn't even get close to having a break point on return.

The world No. 121 took advantage of the lead and the pressure on her opponent to secure a second consecutive break and go ahead 5-1. Although the Croatian showed resistance at the end, holding her serve for the last time, Andreescu ultimately showed her class to close out the victory 6-1, 3-6, 6-1. The 24-year-old Canadian earns important points for the WTA Ranking and reaches world No. 111 in the live ranking.