Rogers Cup won by Canadian after Williams bows out
Bianca Andreescu became the first Canadian to win the Rogers Cup in 50 years when Serena Williams retired because of an injury Sunday in Toronto.
Andreescu was up 31 in the first set when Williams called for a medical timeout.
Less than a minute later, the chair umpire announced that the 37yearold was retiring from the match, handing Andreescu her second WTA Premier title of the season.
The tournament’s final lasted 16 minutes.
After the chair umpire announced the retirement, Williams started to cry on her bench. Andreescu went over to comfort her, hugging her and telling Williams how much she admires the 23time Grand Slam winner.
“I’m not a crier, but thank you, guys,” said Williams as she choked back tears after accepting the secondplace check. “I’m sorry I couldn’t do it today. I tried, but I just couldn’t do it.”
Andreescu, a 19yearold from Mississauga, Ontario, has victories over seven of the top 10 players in the world. Her world ranking will rise from 27th to 14th on Monday. Her previous high was 22nd.
“I’m speechless right now,” Andreescu said after being presented with the Rogers Cup trophy in an oncourt ceremony. “This been a dream come true, really.
“This week has not been easy. I’ve had many, many tough matches.”
Faye Urban of Windsor, Ontario, beat Vancouver’s Vicki Berner in the 1969 final, when the tournament was still played on clay courts and called the Canadian Open.
On the men’s side, Rafael Nadal won his fifth Rogers Cup title, beating eighthseeded Daniil Medvedev 63, 60 in just 70 minutes in Montreal. Nadal, 33, won his 83rd singles title and third of the year, following clay victories in Rome and at the French Open.
Andy Murray returns to men’s singles Monday at the Western & Southern Open in Mason, Ohio.
A painful exit at the Australian Open left Murray thinking the end of his career was in sight. He had a second hip operation in January that implanted metal, eliminated the pain and totally changed his outlook.
During his comeback, Murray played doubles in several tournaments, including Wimbledon with Williams and the Citi Open with brother Jamie. Andy Murray’s return takes another step with singles when he faces France’s Richard Gasquet in the first round.