Canada's Andreescu falls to 3rd-seeded Sabalenka in 3 sets at Stuttgart Open
Canadian eliminated with 2nd-round loss in 1st tournament since October
Canada's Bianca Andreescu was eliminated from the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix on Thursday after a 6-1, 3-6, 6-2 loss to third seed Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus.
Sabalenka clinched the win and advanced to the quarter-finals with her fifth converted break point in eight chances.
Andreescu responded well after being on the wrong end of a lopsided first set, but couldn't complete the comeback. She had a break opportunity down 4-2 in the third set, but wasn't able to convert.
Andreescu, from Mississauga, Ont., was playing in her first tournament since October. She announced late last year that she would sit out the start of the 2022 season to recover physically and mentally from a "challenging" two years.
WATCH | Sabalenka outlasts Andreescu in Stuttgart:
The 21-year-old was victorious in her return to the court with a 7-6 (5), 6-3 win over Germany's Jule Niemeier on Tuesday.
Sabalenka, ranked fourth, will next face the winner of a match between fifth seed Anett Kontaveit of Estonia and Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova.
Sabalenka's win comes a day after she learned she will be barred from participating at Wimbledon when the Grand Slam is held in June. The All England Club announced that players from Russia and Belarus will be barred from competing due to the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Raducanu reaches quarters
Meanwhile, reigning U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu defeated Germany's Tamara Korpatsch 6-0, 2-6, 6-1 to set up a quarter-final match against top-ranked Iga Swiatek.
It will be the 19-year-old Raducanu's first match against a top 10 opponent.
Raducanu, who won at Flushing Meadows as a 150th-ranked qualifier last year, could break into the top 10 herself if she wins the Stuttgart title in what is her first professional tournament on clay. She's currently ranked 12th.
Earlier, second-seeded Paula Badosa defeated Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (4) and will face Ons Jabeur in the quarter-finals. Jabeur defeated Daria Kasatkina 6-3, 6-3.
Fouth-seeded Maria Sakkari retired against Laura Siegemund as the German was leading 6-4, 3-1. Siegemund next plays Russian player Liudmila Samsonova, who defeated Karolina Pliskova 6-4, 6-4.
With files from The Associated Press
