Tennis: Andreescu qualifies for quarter finals to face Swiatek in Italian open

By Chigozie Anueyiagu, The Nigerian Voice Sports

After taking a long break and dealing with her mental health problems she is back on her feet.

Andreescu rolled into the quarter-finals of the Italian Open with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Croatia’s Petra Martic on Thursday afternoon, her third consecutive straight-sets win in Rome. Even though she is relatively inexperienced on clay, she has looked much like her old self, playing aggressive, powerful tennis while mixing in a variety of shots to keep opponents off balance. Most notably, Andreescu has played the pressure points well, a hallmark of her meteoric 2019 year. Level in the second set against Martic on Thursday, during which Andreescu fought off a couple of break points that would have swung the momentum in the Croatian’s favour. She sent projectiles of first serves that gave her the chance to control the point. A few games later, the match was over.

It was the best evidence that the young Canadian is ready for a sustained return to action. She had two impressive wins in the previous tourney in Madrid before falling to American Jessica Pegula in the third round.

“It was, like, super up and down, but that was a great reality check from the universe,” she said this week. “I’m very pleased with how I regrouped from that. Last year, I would have cried in my pillow for two days straight. Now, I just feel more hungry and motivated to continue and to be better.”

However, she will face NO 1 ranked female Tennis player, Polish Iga Swiatek who won an impressive Azarenka.