Bianca Andreescu Is The First Canadian To Win The U.S. Open
NEW YORK — Bianca Andreescu is the U.S. Open champion.
The Mississauga, Ont., native downed tennis great Serena Williams 6-3, 7-5 on Saturday to become the first Canadian to ever win a Grand Slam singles title.
After pumping her fists and congratulating Williams on a well-played match, Andreescu lay on the court, covering her face as she processed the win.
She then stood and made a heart shape with her hands before climbing a ladder to get into the stands and hug her parents.
The final was a rematch of last month’s Rogers Cup women’s championship in Toronto, which Andreescu won when Williams retired down 3-1 in the first set.
That match lasted less than 20 minutes and gave Andreescu her second WTA victory of the season.
Andreescu approached a tearful Williams on the sideline that day in Toronto in a touching moment that led the American superstar to dub the young Canadian a “great sportswoman.”
On Saturday, Andreescu won the first set when Williams double faulted with the young Canadian holding advantage.
Andreescu quietly pumped her fist and marched to her bench during the break, exuding confidence as she faced one of the best tennis players of all time.
Watch: Bianca Andreescu is Canada’s champion. Story continues below.
She put the match away and made Canadian tennis history on championship point when her forehand return eluded Williams.
Andreescu has been one of the best Canadian sports stories of the year. She’s garnered praise from the likes of Wayne Gretzky, Sidney Crosby, Steve Nash, and Kia Nurse. Even Billie Jean King, whose name adorns the tennis centre where the U.S. Open is played, has tweeted about Andreescu multiple times.
Andreescu was coming into Saturday’s final hot, but also tired.
She looked sluggish for parts of her 7-6, 7-5 semifinal victory against Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic on Thursday night, but dug in and found another gear in the second set to rally back from deficits of 4-1 and 5-2.
Williams, on the other hand, looked otherworldly throughout the tournament, carving up opponents starting with Maria Sharapova in the first round. She also notched the quickest victory of the tournament, a 44-minute one-sided quarterfinal win over China’s Wang Qiang.
Meaghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, was in Williams’ player’s box next to her coach. Other notable celebrities in attendance were film director Spike Lee, tennis great John McEnroe and Williams’s sister Venus.
Andreescu defeated Taylor Townsend, Caroline Wozniacki, Kirsten Flipkens, and Katie Volynets on her way to the final.