- Former US Open winner came close to quitting tennis last year
- Andreescu faces Emma Raducanu in first round of Italian Open
At an unpredictable time in women’s tennis, where nearly anyone can beat anyone else on any given day, there is at least one certainty in the Italian Open draw this year. Iga Swiatek, a player who recently won the US Open as a teenager and is now charged with trying to back up that first great triumph, will advance to the second round in Rome.
The only question is who she will play against. Either Bianca Andreescu or Emma Raducanu – two players with many similarities – await after they were drawn to face each other for the first time in the first round on Tuesday.