ROME - China's Zheng Qinwen advanced to the quarterfinals of the WTA Italian Open for the third consecutive year after defeating former US Open champion Bianca Andreescu in straight sets 7-5, 6-1 on Monday.

The pair had previously faced off at the WTA 1000 event in Toronto in 2022, where Zheng edged out a three-set victory.

Eighth seed Zheng made a strong start, racing into a 3-0 lead in the opening set. Andreescu managed to hold serve, and the two then exchanged breaks in the fifth and sixth games. Zheng double-faulted in the seventh game to hand Andreescu a break.

The Canadian took full advantage, holding and breaking again to move ahead 5-4. Zheng regrouped at a critical moment, breaking back in the tenth game and then surging through three straight games to take the set 7-5.

Despite hitting six double faults in the first set, Zheng stayed composed.

"After going up 3-0, I might have relaxed a bit and lost some focus, playing less aggressively and letting the match slip into her rhythm," Zheng reflected afterward. "But what I'm proudest of today is that even when I made mistakes, I didn't let it affect my mindset. I kept calm and fought for every point."

Carrying that momentum into the second set, Zheng stormed to a 4-0 lead. Although she was broken in the fifth game, she immediately broke back before closing out the set 6-1.

A highlight of the match came when Zheng pulled off a stunning tweener, a between-the-legs shot in the second set.

"In the four years since I joined the tour, this is the second time I've successfully hit a tweener in a match. At that moment, I felt amazing, because when I hit a really great point, I actually enjoyed tennis even more. I don't like making mistakes on court because I'm being timid," Zheng said.

In the quarterfinals, Zheng will face top seed Aryna Sabalenka in what will be their first-ever meeting on clay. Zheng called Sabalenka is an aggressive player, and said she will need to withstand those few shots when Sabalenka goes on the attack.

READ MORE: China's Zheng clinches first clay-court win of season in Italian Open

"On clay, I still want to maintain a certain level of consistency while looking for some opportunities to be aggressive," she said.