Saguenay, October 21, 2016 — It was down to the final eight on Friday at the $50,000 Saguenay National Bank Challenger with three Canadians trying to book their place in the final four.
Sixteen-year-old Bianca Andreescu (Toronto, ON) was up first and came away with a 7-6(4), 6-4 victory over Harriett Dart of Great Britain despite playing her sixth match of the tournament. This will be Andreescu’s first appearance in the semifinals of a $50,000 Challenger. She also advanced to the doubles final alongside her compatritot Charlotte Robillard-Millette. The Canadian duo posted a 6-4, 6-4 win over Pia Konig and Ana Zaja. They will face the top-seeded Romanian team of Elena Bogdan and Mihaela Buzarnescu for the title on Saturday.
“I didn’t play my best tennis today and I don’t think my opponent did either. I had to find ways to finish off points and win this match. I am going to get as much rest as I can and hopefully perform better tomorrow,” Andreescu said after the match.
For her part, Robillard-Millette was defeated in her quarter-final match 6-3, 7-6(5) by second-seeded American Jennifer Brady. Aleksandra Wozniak (Blainville, QC) also saw her Saguenay run end in the quarter-finals on Friday night 6-2, 6-4 at the hands of top-seeded American Catherine Bellis.
Saturday’s semifinals, which get underway at noon, will see Andreescu go up against Brady while Bellis will take on her compatriot Sachia Vickery.
