Andreescu upsets Bertens, Williams & Osaka set up quarterfinal clash at Rogers Cup

August 8, 2019

Thursday was a successful day for top seeds as the quarterfinals shaped up at the Rogers Cup in Toronto, with the exception of fifth seed Kiki Bertens, who fell to Bianca Andreescu, born in nearby Mississauga.

Playing her first tournament after skipping the entire grasscourt season, Canadian 19-year-old Bianca Andreescu improved to 5-0 against Top 10 opponents in 2019 by beating world No.5 Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands 6-1 6-7(7) 6-4. “This time off actually helped me. I figured a lot of things out — and it’s showing on court,” said the 27th-ranked Andreescu who will face former world No.1 Karolina Pliskova in the last eight, as the third-seeded Czech saw off Estonia’s Anett Kontaveit 6-3 7-5.

There is a blockbuster scheduled on Friday evening at the Rogers Cup, as Serena Williams faces Naomi Osaka in a repeat of their controversial 2018 US Open final. The eighth-seeded American advanced to the quarters with a 7-5 6-4 win over qualifier Ekaterina Alexandrova, while the Japanese second seed triumphed 7-6(4) 6-4 against qualifier Iga Swiatek. Even though Osaka defeated Williams in their last match-up at Flushing Meadows, the 21-year-old is still star-struck by the 23-time Grand Slam champion: “I grew up watching her, so whenever I get the opportunity to play her, it’s something that I feel is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

American Sofia Kenin defeated Ukrainian Dayana Yastremska 6-2 6-2 and will next face sixth seed Elina Svitolina of Ukraine, third-round winner over fellow former Rogers Cup champion Belinda Bencic, 6-2 6-4.

Defending champion Simona Halep also progressed to the quarterfinals, with a 6-2 6-1 victory over Svetlana Kuznetsova, and her next obstacle in the title defense will be Czech 21-year-old Marie Bouzkova, who ousted Jelena Ostapenko 6-2 6-2.

Besides bringing us photos from these third-round encounters, our Jimmie48 also attended a second-round doubles match in which sixth seeds Victoria Azarenka and Ashleigh Barty defeated Julia Goerges and Karolina Pliskova 6-1 6-3.