Sweet Revenge: Bianca Andreescu dominates Elena Rybakina in Rome thriller

Bianca Andreescu pulled off an impressive victory against Elena Rybakina 6-2, 6-4 and advanced to the round of 16 at the Rome Open. The Canadian earns her best win since returning to the Tour a month ago and avenges her second-round loss to Rybakina at the Madrid Open a few weeks prior.

In a match between two Grand Slam champions, it was Andreescu who capitalized on a poor first set from her opponent and maintained her composure in the second to secure her first career victory against Rybakina. Andreescu reaches the 4th round of a WTA 1000 event for the first time since the Miami Open 2023.

While Rybakina hasn't been at her best in recent months – falling out of the top 10 for the first time in over two years – the Kazakh remains one of the biggest names on the Tour, and Rome seemed like an opportunity to redeem herself this season, especially considering she won the title in 2023 (and then was absent in 2024 due to injury).

Andreescu was the first to gain an advantage in the match after securing an early break in the first game. She consolidated the break with her serve in a somewhat tense start to the match, without many long rallies and with consistent errors from the Kazakh. Andreescu then secured a second break as soon as she had another chance and held onto her serve to take the set 6-1.

Rybakina had a poor 52% first serve percentage, winning 45% of those points, while Andreescu had an impressive 89% first serve percentage, winning 75% of them. In fact, the Canadian only conceded four points on her serve throughout the set and won 67% of the total points played.

It was a clear clash of styles between the typically calm Rybakina and an increasingly animated Andreescu, who secured an early break and saw a victory against the former Wimbledon champion drawing closer. The Canadian capitalized on the momentum, got a break, and then took a 2-0 lead on her serve.

Andreescu had an opportunity to go up by two breaks, but Rybakina came through with a couple of forehand winners in the 4th game. Rybakina improved her serve effectiveness, but her opponent still put her under pressure. Several break points were played for each player, but everything remained balanced throughout the set.

Andreescu saved 4/4 break points against her in the second set, while Rybakina only saved 3/4. When the Canadian had the responsibility at 5-4, she managed to close out the victory with her serve 6-1, 6-4, her best win since returning to the Tour and extra motivation to think about achieving something significant in the tournament after overcoming one of the title favorites. In the Round of 16, she awaits the winner between Magdalena Frech (26th seed) and Zheng Qinwen (8th seed).