Former US Open champion Bianca Andreescu will square off against Croatian qualifier Petra Martic in the third round of the Italian Open 2022 in Rome on Thursday.
Andreescu has improved with every match since returning to the tour following a six-month hiatus. After pre-quarterfinal exits at both Stuttgart and Madrid, the Canadian has now made it to the last 16 for the third straight tournament.
She advanced to the second round in Rome on Tuesday when reigning US Open champion Emma Raducanu retired midway through their match due to a back injury. Andreescu then stormed back from a 0-3 deficit in the second set to record a 6-3, 7-6 (4) win over lucky loser Nuria Parrizas-Diaz in the second round a day later.
Where is Bianca Andreescu playing?
Bianca Andreescu is playing at the Italian Open this week. It is the last WTA 1000 claycourt event ahead of the French Open.
One of the most important stops on the European tennis calendar, the Italian Open was established in 1930. Currently, the men's competition is an ATP Masters 1000 event while the women's competition is part of the WTA 1000 series. The two were combined in 2011.
Who is Bianca Andreescu playing against?
Andreescu's next opponent, World No. 47 Petra Martic, has had most of her success on clay. In a terrific 2019 clay season, she won her only tour-level title till date in Istanbul and backed it up with a run to her maiden Grand Slam quarterfinal at Roland Garros.
2022 has so far been disappointing for the 31-year-old. Prior to arriving in Italy, her only noteworthy result this year was at Indian Wells, where she made the last eight.
However, a return to the Italian Open has once again brought the best out of her. Martic reached the semifinals in Rome last year and now stands two wins away from repeating that result this season, having started in the qualifiers.
In her first couple of rounds in the main draw, Martic disposed of quality opponents in former Australian Open semifinalist Karolina Muchova and World No. 5 Anett Kontaveit.
The Croat will now be eager to continue her stellar form against Andreescu in their first-ever meeting.
Bianca Andreescu vs Petra Martic match schedule
Andreescu and Martic's match will be second on Court 1 on Thursday, May 12.
Match timing: Approx 12:30 pm local time / 10:30 am GMT / 6:30 am ET / 4:00 pm IST.
Date: 12 May 2022.
Bianca Andreescu vs Petra Martic streaming details
Viewers from the following countries can catch the action live on these respective channels and sites:-
USA: For viewers in the USA, Tennis Channel will broadcast the match.
UK: UK viewers can follow the action on Amazon Prime Video.
Canada: Viewers in Canada can tune in to TSN.
Australia: Fans Down Under can catch all the action live on beIN Sports.
Italy: The host country will broadcast the tournament live on Supertennis.
For more information regarding the broadcast of matches, click here.