Belinda Bencic produced a clinical display to dispatch Bianca Andreescu 6-4, 6-1 in the second round of the Internazionali BNL d''Italia. The Swiss reached the Rome third round for the first time in eight appearances at the tournament.
The opening set remained competitive until 4-4, but from that point Bencic shifted into a higher gear and never looked back. The 2021 Olympic gold medalist won 10 of the final 12 games and 20 of the last 22 points, a staggering run that left Andreescu powerless.
The numbers painted a stark picture. Bencic converted 6 of 9 break points and won 72% of her first-serve points, while Andreescu struggled badly on her second serve, winning just 17% of those points and committing 7 double faults.
For Andreescu, the defeat was a sharp contrast to her encouraging first-round win over Sofia Kenin. The Canadian, ranked 137th, showed flashes of her best tennis earlier in the week but could not sustain that level against Bencic''s relentless precision.
Bencic''s continued climb since returning from maternity leave underlines the depth of her talent. She will face Anna Kalinskaya in the third round, a match that will test whether her Rome run has more chapters to unfold.
