Staff Reporter.
@USOpen.
Bianca Andreescu needed just 67 minutes to sweep aside lucky loser Greet Minnen and reach the US Open fourth round.
The Canadian sixth seed, who is finding her way back from a long-term knee injury, beat the Belgian 6-1 6-2.
Champion in 2019, the 21-year-old has now won her past 10 main draw matches in New York.
“I’m very happy with my performance today,” said Andreescu, who missed the 2020 season due to injury and the challenges of playing in the COVID-19 pandemic. “It hasn’t been an easy past couple of months.”
It was the latest triumph for Canada after 21-year-old Felix Auger-Aliassime outlasted Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut in a five-set thriller and Leylah Fernandez stunned four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka on Saturday, setting up a fourth-round clash against 2016 champion Angelique Kerber.
“I’m super grateful to be a part of that group,” said Andreescu.
She faces an intriguing last-16 match against French Open semi-finalist Maria Sakkari after the Greek beat a patchy Petra Kvitova 6-4 6-3.
Czech 10th seed Kvitova made 34 unforced errors compared to just 16 winners as she struggled for consistency.
Sakkari and Andreescu last met at the Miami Open in April, with Canadian edging a third set tie-break in a match that finished at 01:30 local time.
Olympic gold medallist Belinda Bencic also advanced to the fourth round with a 6-2 6-4 win over American Jessica Pegula.
Switzerland’s Bencic will face either Anett Kontaveit or last year’s French Open champion Iga Swiatek next.