Zheng reels in Andreescu after saving set points in Rome

Facing Bianca Andreescu for the second time in their careers at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia on Monday, Zheng Qinwen was up. And then she was down.

But in the end, she was a winner. The No. 8 seed reached the quarterfinals at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia for a third time in her career with a 7-5, 6-1 win over the resurgent 2019 US Open champion. Zheng saved two set points in the opening set in the 10th game, having trailed 5-4 with Andreescu serving after seeing a 3-1 lead slip away. But she finished the match by winning nine of the last 10 games.

Rome: Draws | Scores | Order of play

Zheng has never lost before the quarterfinals in her career in Rome, but has yet to reach the semifinals. For a spot in the final four, she will have to conquer an opponent she has yet to beat: World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, who beat Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk in the final fourth-round match of Monday's slate of play. Zheng is 0-6 against Sabalenka all-time.

Despite only landing 46% of her first serves in the match, and hitting nine double faults, Zheng's aggression off the ground helped her earn the comeback victory in 1 hour and 33 minutes. She hit 27 winners to Andreescu's nine and also broke serve seven times. 

One of those breaks came in the 10th game of the first set, after Andreescu had both of her chances to put the set away. On the first set point, at 40-30, the Canadian missed a first-ball backhand after Zheng connected on the return. On the second -- two points later, after Andreescu hit her sixth winner of the match -- Zheng hit a forehand that was as good as a winner; too much for Andreescu to handle, it kissed off the tip of her racquet frame.

Zheng leveled at 5-5 two points later, and eventually won 11 of the last 14 points to steal the set. Her momentum continued into the second set, a frame in which Andreescu never held. The No. 8 seed's run of games hit seven straight at one stage before Andreescu broke from 30-0.

Zheng and Sabalenka have never played on a surface other than hard court, but the reigning gold medalist will take a 16-2 record on clay in her last five events on the surface into her seventh career meeting with the World No. 1.