Bianca Andreescu of Mississauga, Ontario, the 137th ranked player in the world, and 2019 United States Open champion, came through with her most notable victory of 2026 as she beat American Sofia Kenin, the 74th ranked player in the world, and 2020 Australian Open champion, 6-4, 7-5, in the first round of the 2026 Italian Open on Tuesday.
In a rare first round match at the Italian Open featuring two prior major champions, Andreescu won on Rome’s Center Court in straight sets. Andreescu broke Kenin five times in six opportunities.
This was Andreescu’s fourth win over Kenin in a WTA event. She also won 6-3, 6-3 in the second round of the 2019 Miami Open, 6-4, 7-6 in the semifinals of the 2019 Rogers Cup in Toronto, and 6-4, 6-4 in the third round of the 2023 Miami Open.
The win over Kenin in Rome was Andreescu’s second WTA Tour win in 2026. She also beat Dalma Galfi of Hungary, 1-6, 6-4, 6-1 in the first round of Charleston on March 31.
Next up for Andreescu is the 12th seed and two-time grand slam semifinalist Belinda Bencic of Switzerland in round two. Bencic made the semifinals of the 2019 United States Open and 2025 Wimbledon. Andreescu beat Bencic 7-6, 7-5 in the semifinals of the 2019 United States Open.
Andreescu is one of three Canadian women in round two of the Italian Open. The other two are the 10th seed, Victoria Mboko of Burlington, Ontario, and the 25th seed, Leylah Annie Fernandez of Montreal, Quebec.
There are two Canadian men in the singles draw. They are Denis Shapovalov of Toronto, Ontario, and the fourth seed, Felix Auger-Aliassime of Montreal, Quebec. Shapovalov will face Mariano Navone of Argentina in the first round.
