Photo: camerawork usa
On Saturday afternoon in Louis Armstrong Stadium, Bianca Andreescu became the third Canadian to reach the round of 16 at the 2021 US Open with a dominating 6-1, 6-2 win over Belgian Greet Minnen.
The No. 104-ranked player from Belgium lost her last qualifying match to Canadian Rebecca Marino but earned a spot in the main draw as a lucky loser. Despite getting knocked out of the tournament, Minnen had a great week with wins over Argentinian Nadia Podoroska and Russian Ludmilla Samsonova. This was Minnen’s best Grand Slam result.
On the other hand, Andreescu – the 2019 US Open champion – remains undefeated at the Grand Slam event. She continues to dominate on the New York courts, especially during today’s crushing victory.
In the opening set, Andreescu led the way with her powerful serve, holding to love three times and delivering two aces.
Minnen simply couldn’t match Andreescu’s firepower and was broken in the fourth and sixth games by the Canadian.
The early break in the first set kicked off a nine-game winning streak for Andreescu. Minnen finally got on the board in the second set to regroup to 1-4.
Minnen would have needed Andreescu to crack to have a chance at coming back in today’s match – but it never happened.
The 2019 US Open champion kept 78 per cent of first serves in play and won 75 per cent of those points. She also capitalized on 4/7 break point opportunities and saved all four break points she faced. It was quite a lopsided match.
Andreescu now faces the winner of Maria Sakkari and Petra Kvitova in the round of 16. A matchup against Kvitova would be a first for the Canadian, while facing Sakkari would be a rematch of the thrilling semi-final contest at the 2021 Miami Open. Andreescu won the battle 7-6(7), 3-6, 7-6(4).
