Canadians Andreescu and Mboko Secure Wins at Italian Open

Canadian tennis players Bianca Andreescu and Victoria Mboko started their Italian Open campaigns with impressive victories over local opponents in Rome on Wednesday.

Andreescu, hailing from Mississauga, Ontario, faced off against Federica Urgesi of Italy and dominated the match with a 6-0, 6-3 win. The former world No. 4 showcased her prowess on the court by winning 97.1% of her first service points and not facing a single break point in the first set.

In the second set, Andreescu quickly took a commanding 5-1 lead before Urgesi mounted a brief comeback with a hold and a break. However, Andreescu sealed the victory with six break-point conversions out of 10 opportunities.

Next up for Andreescu is a second-round clash with 20th-seed Donna Vekic of Croatia, whom she previously faced at the Paris Olympics last year.

Meanwhile, Toronto’s Mboko also had a successful start to the tournament, defeating Italy’s Arianna Zucchini 6-2, 6-3. The 18-year-old Canadian, ranked 158th in the world, showcased her talent by converting six break points during the match.

Mboko, who has had a stellar season with a 33-3 record and five ITF titles, will face fourth seed Coco Gauff of the United States in the next round.

On the men’s side, Montreal’s Gabriel Diallo will take on American Marcos Giron in his first-round match, while Felix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov have received byes.

Leylah Fernandez, the other Canadian in the women’s draw and seeded 24th, advanced to the second round with a first-round bye.