SERENA WILLIAMS LOSES GRAND SLAM SINGLES TO CANADIAN TEEN ANDREESCU IN US OPEN FINAL
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| Bianca Andreescu (R) of Canada poses with the trophy after she won against Serena Williams (L) of the US after the Women’s Singles Finals match at the 2019 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York on September 7, 2019. Johannes EISELE / AFP |
Teenager Bianca Andreescu became Canada’s first Grand Slam singles champion Saturday with a rollercoaster 6-3, 7-5 win over 23-time major champion Serena Williams in the US Open final.
The 19-year-old Andreescu
became the youngest Grand Slam winner since Maria Sharapova at the 2006 US
Open, handing Williams a fourth consecutive defeat in the final of a major to
again deny her a record-equaling 24th Slam title.
Williams, 37, suffered a
second finals loss in a row at Flushing Meadows, after a 2018 defeat against
Naomi Osaka best remembered for a furious tirade against chair umpire Carlos
Ramos.
Appearing in a 33rd Grand
Slam final, and fourth since the last of her 23 major titles, Williams made an
inauspicious start at Arthur Ashe Stadium by conceding her opening service game
with successive double faults.
Andreescu, who wasn’t even
born when Williams won her maiden Slam at the 1999 US Open, responded with a
comfortable hold, a pattern that repeated itself until the Canadian threatened
to run away with the opening set.
Serving at 2-4, Williams
erased five breakpoints with a combination of aces and booming groundstrokes
but Andreescu was knocking on the door once more as the American served to stay
in the set.
A forehand winner earned
the youngster a set point, and Williams duly her gifted her the opener with
another double fault.
Andreescu had failed to
even reach the main draw the past two years, twice falling in the first
qualifying round, and her confidence continued to flow as she surged 2-0 ahead
in the second — Williams again doubled-faulting on breakpoint.
The American carved out
four opportunities to hit back the following game, benefiting from a huge
stroke of luck when a forehand brushed the tape and trickled over to haul
herself back on serve.
Undeterred Andreescu
promptly regained the initiative with another break and looked to be marching
towards the title when she followed a routine hold by again breaking the
Williams serve for a 5-1 lead.
Andreescu brought up
championship point in the ensuing game, but Williams smacked a forehand winner
to stay alive and then rattled off 14 of 17 points to peg her opponent back at
5-all.
The Canadian stemmed the
bleeding by holding for 6-5 and an errant Williams backhand handed Andreescu
two more shots at the title. Williams saved the first with an ace but Andreescu
secured victory on the next with a blistering forehand return.
AFP
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