Canadian teen stuns former No. 1 Wozniacki

Louis Borfiga knew Canadian tennis player Bianca Andreescu was a special talent.

Andreescu started playing at Tennis Canada’s regional training centres about six years ago and her strong skill set quickly blossomed. She’s 18 now and riding high after the biggest win of her career, a stunning 6-4, 6-4 victory over world No. 3 Caroline Wozniacki Thursday at the ASB Classic in Auckland.

Borfiga, Tennis Canada’s vice-president of high performance and athlete development, said Andreescu has a complete game.

“She’s ready for the (WTA) Tour,” Borfiga said from Montreal. “She’s very good (with) cross-courts, to change direction, to change the speed . ... She can do a lot of things with her technique.”

In the second set, Andreescu, from Mississauga, Ont., saved three break points with seven deuces to pull even at 3-3. Overall, Andreescu saved 83 per cent of break points.

After sealing the victory, she dropped her racket, bent down and put her hands over her head as she received a nice ovation from the crowd.

“Honestly, I can’t believe it right now,” Andreescu said. “I’ve dreamed of playing on this stage against top players and now I’m here. I’ve had a couple of back issues the past couple of months. I just fought until the end.”

The world No. 152 needed two hours 14 minutes to complete the victory. The Canadian will face sixth-seeded American Venus Williams in Friday’s quarter-finals.

The US$250,000 event is a warm-up for the Australian Open, which Wozniacki won last year.

“I’ve pictured myself beating top players like this and it’s really just a dream come true,” Andreescu said. “(My confidence) skyrocketed like 20 times today. She was No. 1 in the world and won a Grand Slam.”

Fellow Canadian Eugenie Bouchard also reached the quarter-finals. She faces No. 2 seed Julia Goerges of Germany.