2019 champion Bianca Andreescu picked up another key win at home at the National Bank Open presented by Rogers on Wednesday night, earning her first win over a player who has upset her mightily in the past.
Andreescu beat Alizé Cornet 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 in 2 hours and 26 minutes to reach the round of 16 of the tournament for the third time in his career. Andreescu has won eight straight matches at the event, which is held in Toronto, which is the closest major city to his hometown.
Winner’s words: “I think it was just the fighting spirit of both of them,” Andreescu reflected on the match. “He’s very consistent and I had to push myself, especially in the tough moments. I think I played a little bit better today in those key moments.
“I think especially in these tight games, those are the key moments you really need under your belt. And when you have them, it definitely gives you a lot of confidence. And I hope I can continue like that for the rest of the tournament.”
Cornet Stats: Cornet had defeated Andreescu in straight sets in their previous two meetings, which came last year on grass, in Berlin and in the first round of Wimbledon. The third time was the charm for Andreescu as he finally got his first win over Cornet.
Andreescu hadn’t won back-to-back matches on hard court in nearly a year, and her last back-to-back wins on the surface came at the 2021 US Open. However, the former US Open champion gave backing her Top 10 win over Daria Kasatkina from the first round, firing 27 winners ahead of Cornet.
Andreescu also had a game-high 27 unforced errors. However, Cornet finished the matchup with lower net numbers than the Canadian, with 21 winners to 30 unforced errors.
Zheng to face Andreescu; Teichmann upsets Kontaveit
Earlier on Wednesday, top 5 players Ons Jabeur and Anett Kontaveit were kicked out of the tournament in their opening matches following first-round exits.
China’s 19-year-old Zheng Qinwen was leading Jabeur 6-1, 2-1 when Jabeur withdrew from his second-round match due to abdominal pain. Zheng will be Andreescu’s opponent in the round of 16, which will be their first meeting.
Zheng has now racked up two consecutive tour-level hardcourt wins for the first time since January. He also achieved the first Top 10 win of his career with the victory over Jabeur, via withdrawal.
World No. 51 Zheng is in the midst of her breakout season, which began at No. 143. Zheng was the only player to claim a set from eventual champion Iga Swiatek at Roland Garros.
And world No. 21 Jil Teichmann overcame No. 2 seed Kontaveit 6-4, 6-4 in 1 hour 27 minutes to reach the last 16 in Toronto. Teichmann converted four of her six break points and also saved six of the eight break points she faced.
Teichmann earned the fifth Top 5 win of his career and defeated a current world No. 2 for the second time. She had previously beaten then-No.2 Naomi Osaka during her run at the WTA 1000 Cincinnati final last year.
Teichmann, who beat former world No. 1 Venus Williams in the first round, will face another former world No. 1, two-time National Bank Open champion Simona Halep, in the round of 16 final Teichmann and Halep will meet for the first time.