Bianca Andreescu wins 17th consecutive match and books spot in China Open quarters

Bianca Andreescu’s historic season continues.

The Mississauga, Ont.-native won her 17th consecutive match after defeating American Jennifer Brady in straight sets 6-1, 6-3 Thursday at the China Open – it’s the longest win-streak in 2019.

It now sets up a tantalizing quarter-final match between Andreescu and the former world No. 1, Naomi Osaka. The two have never faced one another before.

Andreescu hasn’t lost a match she’s completed since March 1, and if you take away the two losses Andreescu suffered when a shoulder injury forced her out of matches, that’s now 27 wins in a row.

There’s more. Andreescu, 19, is now a WTA-best 48-4 on the season. She’s 8-0 against players ranked in the top-10.

Andreescu now faces Osaka in Friday’s quarter-final match, set to begin at 9 a.m. ET. It’s a chance for her to once again — not that she should have to at this point — prove she belongs in the top echelon of women’s tennis.

Earlier Thursday, Osaka defeated American Alison Riske to advance. Andreescu and Osaka are the last two U.S. Open champions – the up-and-coming tennis stars now clash in a marquee match with a spot in the semis on the line.

Canadian puts on a clinic

Andreescu was clinical against Brady in her Round of 16 match Thursday night in Beijing. She broke the American three times in the first set, including the first game of the match, to take the first set in just 33 minutes.

It was much of the same in the second set as Andreescu mixed her powerful forehand with soft, deft drop shots to propel her to victory. The Canadian won the second set 6-3.

What Andreescu has done this season is nothing short of remarkable – and it is continuing in Beijing. How she’s done it is equally sensational.

The greater the pressure, the better Andreescu plays. She’s won 13 consecutive matches that go three sets. She senses the big moment and relishes playing on the big stage. Also, as events roll on, Andreescu seems to get better with each match.

She had 22 days off between her U.S Open victory and the China Open – perhaps there was a bit of rust in her first match in China but that seems to have disappeared quickly.

And so once again Andreescu gets another chance to knock-off a top-ten player – Osaka is currently ranked fourth.

Marquee matchup looms

Andreescu and Osaka have never met in a match before, setting up a tantalizing first-ever showdown to highlight the remaining eight at the China Open.

The two blasted onto the tennis scene at back-to-back U.S. Opens. No one will ever forget the controversially victory by Osaka over Serena Williams in 2018 to claim her first Grand Slam title. And then just last month, Andreescu also defeated Williams at the U.S. Open to claim her first Grand Slam title.

It marked the first Grand Slam win by a Japanese singles tennis player. It marked the first Grand Slam win by a Canadian singles tennis player. Both Andreescu and Osaka have became the faces of tennis for their countries.

It’s been a breakout season for Andreescu, who won the Indian Wells tournament in California in March, and the Rogers Cup title in Toronto in August.

She then became the first Canadian ever to win a Grand Slam event by capturing the U.S. Open title in New York last month.

On Sunday, Andreescu qualified for the year-end WTA Finals, scheduled for Shenzhen, China, from Oct. 27 to Nov. 3.