Rival wasn’t born when Serena won first Slam!
Twelve months ago a fast- rising young opponent — not to mention a vigilant umpire — turned the US Open final into something of a nightmare for Serena williams.
A year on, it is not Naomi Osaka who stands between the American and a historic 24th Grand Slam, but a Canadian teenager who was not even born when williams won her first Slam in 1999, and whose own meteoric rise makes Japan’s Osaka look almost a slouch.
By the time williams suffered her meltdown in the Arthur Ashe Stadium last year, Bianca Andreescu was long gone from the US Open, not even a footnote at an event where she lost in the qualifying tournament.
Now she will face the great American on the biggest stage of all, having defeated Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic 7-6, 7-5 to secure her place in the final.
A year ago, the 19-year-old from Toronto was ranked 208th in the world and struggling to fulfil the expectations associated with a promising junior career.
‘I wasn’t going through a good period,’ she said. ‘I was having problems with some relationships in my life, with my body, and even my mind, too.
‘ I was playing 25ks [ small $25,000 tournaments] before the qualies of the US Open. But I’m glad I went through it, because at one point you have to.’ She arrives tonight with a 44-4 match record on the main tour and an unusually versatile game style that can see her soak up pressure at the back of the court and volley with aplomb by the net.
She has not lost a completed match since early March, although her participation has been restricted by shoulder injuries, which is why she missed the grass court season.
For a young tennis star, Andreescu comes straight out of central casting, being the child of immigrants from Romania. Born in Canada, she spent four years in Romania before they settled in Toronto. She credits the all-round nature of her game on the fact that she did a lot of gymnastics and ice skating when younger.
Confident and personable, her only brush with controversy this year was when Angelique Kerber called her ‘the biggest drama queen ever’ in Miami.
Andreescu also has an interesting history with williams. The two met in the final of the Canadian Open, only for the American to retire in the first set with what she said were back spasms.
williams — desperate to equal Margaret Court’s 24 Grand Slams — had the perfect start at this event, beating Maria Sharapova in the first round. Since then, it has been her most convincing campaign at a Slam since she became a mother two years ago.
The question is whether she can keep her composure in the championship match. The three Grand Slam finals since her comeback have not ended well: last year here, and the two wimbledon wipeouts at the hands of highly mobile opponents, Kerber and Simona Halep.
williams knows her chances are running out, three weeks from her 38th birthday. ‘I think it’s cool that I’ve been in more finals than I think anyone currently on tour after being pregnant,’ williams said. ‘ I think that’s kind of awesome. I kind of look at it that way because it’s not easy to go through what I did and come back, and so fast.’