(Toronto) Bianca Andreescu’s Toronto run came to a halt in the round of 16 at the National Bank Open on Thursday, when 19-year-old Chinese Qinwen Zheng beat her in straight sets (7-5, 5-7 and 6-2).
Updated yesterday at 10:40 p.m.
The 22-year-old Ontarian lacked bite and opportunism, losing in three hours.
Zheng had six breaks, including three in a row in the final set.
She completed the win on her first match point with a low-speed passing after an ineffective volley from the Canadian.
Zheng committed seven double faults, but she made up for it with eight aces.
PHOTO NATHAN DENETTE, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Qinwen Zheng
The Chinese won the first set with a spike, in a 12e game where she also managed a perfect cushioning.
In the second set, Andreescu took her rival’s serve at 5-5, punctuating the game with a deep backhand, returned too far by her rival.
In the third set, however, the Chinese took control with a break that gave her a 3-1 lead. In the previous game, she had kept her service at zero.
Andreescu is ranked 53e at the WTA, two ranks behind Zheng.
The Ontarian was the champion in Toronto in 2019, where she was also crowned in New York.
In the quarter-finals, Zheng will face Karolína Plíšková, 14e first in the series.
The Czech had the last laugh (6-1, 6-7 and 6-3) against the Greek María Sákkari, seeded third.
Iga Świątek eliminated
PHOTO CHRIS YOUNG, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Iga Świątek
Big surprise, earlier Thursday: Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia, 24e in the world, dismissed the favorite and noh World 1 Iga Świątek (6-4, 3-6 and 7-5).
Falling from Leylah Fernandez in the previous round, Maia advanced to the quarter-finals on her fourth match point, when the Pole sent a forehand off target.
Świątek hurt her own cause by committing nine double faults, which helped her rival to a 4-3 break lead.
PHOTO CHRIS YOUNG, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Beatriz Haddad Maia
Maia will find Belinda Bencic on her way, who won her duel against Garbiñe Muguruza.
There will be a new champion of the event: the Italian Camila Giorgi was beaten (6-3, 0-6 and 7-5) by the American Jessica Pegula.
Seventh-seeded Pegula edged 6-4 for breaks over Giorgi, 29e at the WTA.
Her next opponent will be Yulia Putintseva, who defeated Alison Riske-Amritraj (6-3 and 7-5).
American Coco Gauff reached the quarter-finals with a victory (7-5, 4-6 and 7-6) against Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka.
Gauff, 10e seeded, closed the books on her first match point, when Sabalenka could not control her serve.
Sabalenka, seeded noh 6, threw his racquet to vent the frustration after a marathon game lasting 3 hours 11 minutes.
Both players were hampered by the windy conditions at Sobeys Stadium.
Sabalenka had 18 double faults and Gauff had 15. Sabalenka had 42 unforced errors and Gauff had 32.
In the next round, Gauff will face Romania’s Simona Halep, the tournament’s two-time champion. Halep defeated Swiss Jil Teichmann (6-2 and 7-5).