Andreescu
BAD HOMBURG, Germany — Canada’s Bianca Andreescu defeated top-seeded Daria Kasatkina of Russia 6-4, 6-1 in quarterfinal play Thursday at the Bad Homburg Open.
The unseeded Andreescu, who has yet to lose a set at the Wimbledon warmup tournament, needed 82 minutes to complete the victory.
The 13th-ranked Kasatkina double-faulted six times and won only three of 17 points off her second serve. Andreescu, the world No. 64 from Mississauga, Ont., converted five of six break-point opportunities.
Andreescu, the WTA’s former No. 4 player, returned to the court in April after taking a multi-month break from tennis. She announced late last year that she would sit out the start of the 2022 season to recover physically and mentally from a “challenging” two years.
“It’s honestly so amazing. I’ve been through some rough times and just persevering through all of it makes all of these moments worth it,” Andreescu said.
The Canadian will face fourth-seeded Simona Halep of Romania in the semis. Halep advanced with a 6-2, 6-1 win over American sixth seed Amanda Anisimova.
Andreescu and Haelp have met just once before, with the Romanian pulling out a 3-6, 7-6 (6), 6-3 win in an opening-round match at the 2019 WTA final.
It will be Andreescu’s first appearance in a semifinal this season. The 2019 U.S. Open champion also reached the quarterfinals last month in Rome before falling to top-ranked Iga Swiatek of Poland.