Bianca Andreescu did what Milos Raonic (2016 Wimbledon) and Genie Bouchard (2014 Wimbledon) could not do: Andreescu is the first Canadian to win a singles title in a Grand Slam tournament.
Bianca Andreescu vs. Serena Williams. Andreescu was up 3-1 in the first set before Williams retired with an upper back injury in the Rogers Cup (aka Canadian Open) on August 11. Less than a month later, Andreescu and Williams were reunited at Arthur Ashe Stadium for the 2019 U.S. Open women's singles final.
Andreescu dominated with a 6-3 win in the first set. She went up 5-1 in the second set and was seemingly coasting to an easy second set win. Williams had struggled with first serves and Andreescu was more than ready to respond to the second serves.
Williams rallied in the second set to tie at 5-5. Andreescu got the momentum back going up 6-5 and won without a tiebreaker in the second set, defeating Williams 6-3, 7-5 to win the 2019 U.S. Open.
Congratulations @Bandreescu_! 🇨🇦 You’ve made history and made a whole country very proud. #SheTheNorth https://t.co/W98v1lUN9o
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) September 7, 2019
The list of accomplishments:
- first Canadian to win singles in a Grand Slam event
- #5 ranking, the highest ranking for any Canadian woman (tied with Eugenie Bouchard)
- first U.S. Open winner in her main-draw debut
On that August day in Toronto, Andreescu became the first Canadian to win that tournament since Faye Urban in 1969.
Andreescu's path at the U.S. Open took her past Katie Volynets, Kirsten Flipkens, Caroline Wozniacki, Taylor Townsend, and Elise Mertens before defeating Belinda Bencic in the semifinal and Serena Williams in the final.
Her 2019 journey has taken her to wins at Indian Wells, Toronto, and now New York City with the U.S. Open title. Andresscu's overall record is 34-4, 8-0 against top 10 opponents. #SheTheNorth indeed.
Milos Raonic advances to Wimbledon final (2016)
Canadian sports notebook: Bouchard falls short at Wimbledon (2014)
Genie's Army gets set for Bouchard Wimbledon final
Bouchard, Raonic in Wimbledon quarterfinals
Eugenie Bouchard opening eyes to Canadian tennis
Andreescu, 19, consoled Williams after the Rogers Cup match was brought to an early end. Williams said early on in the U.S. Open that she thought Andreescu would be in the U.S. Open final.
SHE THE CHAMP!
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) September 7, 2019
Congrats, @Bandreescu_ 👏🏽#WeTheNorth x #SheTheNorth pic.twitter.com/QEugBwH24W
"I know you guys wanted Serena to win so I'm so sorry," Andreescu acknowledged the crowd that was clearly pulling for the tennis legend. Williams said if anyone else had to win, besides herself and her sister Venus, she wanted Andreescu to win.
Andresscu's dog Coco along with her parents Maria and Nicu made for a nice side story during the U.S. Open.
We look forward to seeing what happens to Andreescu in the future. In her words, "Let's keep going."
photo credit: U.S. Open/ESPN
Twitter captures: @JustinTrudeau; @Raptors
Comments