This September, Mississauga-born Bianca Andreescu won the US Open against veteran tennis star Serena Williams.
Bianca’s win makes her the first-ever Canadian to win a tennis major at the US Open. That accomplishment was so impressive, some consider it the best Canadian sports performance of the year.
However, Andreescu’s legendary achievement didn’t come without hard work. Let’s take a look at how she became the most popular Canadian athlete—and 19-year-old—in the game.
The beginning of the year marked a few important moments for Andreescu. In January, she was placed 152nd in the world. She travelled to Auckland, New Zealand for the ASB Classic tournament and defeated Caroline Wozniacki and Venus Williams, former world No. 1s.
In August, Andreescu returned to Toronto for the Rogers Cup and won 6-0. She played big names: Eugenie Bouchard, Daria Kasatkina, Kiki Bertens, Karolina Pliskova, Sofia Kenin, and Serena Williams. Though Williams retired from the match in the first set due to an injury, Andreescu defeated all the rest of her opponents.
The young athlete’s consecutive successes eventually landed her the Rogers Cup, making her a household name in Canada and around the world.
Weeks after her win, Canadians are still talking about her accomplishment. Andreescu’s victory makes her the first Canadian to win the Rogers Cup since Faye Urban in 1969.
After Andreescu gained the historical title 50 years later, Urban, now a retired teacher, said she was “thrilled for her.”
Andreescu is now ranked No. 5 in the world.
Every year, Canadian sports fans watch and wait to be proud of their country’s representatives, and Andreescu’s win is one that made every Canadian stand a little taller. Her hard work shows what means to be Canadian, and earned a monumental place in Canadian sports history.
Alongside her accomplishment, Andreescu’s talents are well beyond her age—she’s a role model for younger tennis players in Canada. That role modelling extents to a proud moment for Canadian women as well.
Andreescu’s achievement is a symbol of pride in a modern age. She’s living proof that boundaries can be surpassed in the pursuit of success, regardless of gender, age, or nationality.
Since her big win, Andreescu has resumed her training. She believes this is only the beginning of what she wants to accomplish.
Andreescu has been honoured at the Canadian Sport Awards, where she was named Female Summer Athlete of the Year and Performance of the Year, though she doesn’t plan to rest on her laurels.
Andreescu will return to the court for a tournament at the Beijing Open lasting Sept. 28 to Oct. 6.
Bianca Andreescu’s historic win is one that will go down in history books, and is already one of the most memorable sport performances of the year.
The 19-year-old’s remarkable success is a proud moment for not only tennis fans, but for Canadians as a whole.
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