Photo – French Open
Bianca Andreescu capped a perfect day for Canadians in Paris, rallying to beat Anna Kalinskaya 1-6, 7-5, 6-3 to advance to the third round of Roland-Garros.
Competing in her first tournament since the National Bank Open in Montreal last August, Andreescu hit 32 winners and won 16 of 21 points at net for her second win on the clay courts in Paris.
In this showdown, the 2019 US Open champion had to dig deep after a slow start.
Kalinskaya, the 23rd seed at the event, took early control of the second-round encounter, breaking Andreescu at love to build a 4-1 opening set lead.
With the Canadian struggling to find her range, the 25-year-old secured a second break and wrapped up the first set on her serve in just 28 minutes.
Andreescu regrouped in the second, saving two break points to hold in the opening game.
The two competitors would exchange holds of serve until the latter stages of the set, with the Canadian securing the only break to win the second 7-5 in 54 minutes.
Read more: Auger-Aliassime, Shapovalov make history at Roland-Garros
In the third, Andreescu displayed her mental fortitude, saving all six break points she faced.
At 4-3, the Mississauga native hit consecutive winners to finally break her opponent, before sealing the victory on serve.
The Canadian now has consecutive wins over top 50 opponents at Roland-Garros and is back in the third round of the event for the second consecutive year.
She joins Leylah Annie Fernandez, Denis Shapovalov, and Félix Auger-Aliassime in the round of 32.
Andreescu will face the no. 12 seed Jasmine Paolini next in their first head-to-head matchup.
The Italian won the Dubai Tennis Championships earlier this season, the biggest title of her career.
Fernandez beats Wang to advance in Paris
Leylah Annie Fernandez secured her spot in the third round of the French Open, defeating Wang Xiyu 6-3, 6-4 in a contest that took over two days to complete in Paris.
In an-all left handed showdown, the Canadian fired 21 winners and broke serve three times in an impressive straight sets victory.
The 21-year-old initially held a first set lead on Wednesday before rain wiped out play on the outside courts of Roland-Garros. The players would resume action late Thursday afternoon in Paris as the weather finally cooperated.
In the early stages of the match, it was the Laval, Quebec native largely dictating play.
Fernandez won 13 of the first 18 points to open the match, breaking the Chinese competitor’s serve in the second game, and mounting a quick 3-0 lead.
While Wang recovered one break of serve, Fernandez again pushed in front, holding a 5-3 advantage after 34 minutes before the first stoppage of play.
The weather continued to wreak havoc on Thursday, with the competitors having to wait several hours before again finally taking their place on Court 8.
Fernandez overcame a nervy service game, escaping a 15-40 deficit to close the opening set 6-3 in 41 minutes of game-time.
The competitors stayed on more even terms through the second set.
Wang of China opened proceedings with a hold of serve, applying pressure to the Canadian with her aggressive counter-punching.
However, Fernandez stayed course by taking time and space away from her opponent as she routinely managed her own services games.
At 3-3 in the second, the Canadian made her move, capitalizing on three unforced errors to earn the only break of serve in the set.
Wang had one last gasp in the final game, recovering from a 40-15 deficit to create a break point chance.
WTA Power Rankings – Is Iga Swiatek’s fourth Roland-Garros title inevitable?
The Canadian staved off the opportunity, before closing out the affair on her third match point with a crosscourt forehand winner.
It’s the third time Fernandez has reached the third round or better in Paris in her career.
She will face eighth seeded Ons Jabeur of Tunisia next.
