By Richard Pagliaro | Saturday, September 7, 2019
NEW YORK—Electricity erupted as brightly Broadway marquees while Serena Williams marched across the game’s largest Grand Slam stage two sets from immortality.
A brilliant Bianca Andreescu defused the six-time US Open champion, pulled the plug on the party passion of 23,000 Serena fans and made major history of her own in stirring style.
Serena: So Close, Yet So Far Away
Exuding energy from the outset, the 19-year-old Andreescu jolted the generation gap outclassing the 37-year-old Williams, 6-3, 7-5, in the US Open final making history as the first Canadian—male or female—to win a Grand Slam title.
"I’m just beyond grateful and truly blessed," said Andreescu, who collected a champion's check for $3.85 million. "I’ve worked really, really hard for this moment. This year has been a dream come true. Being able to play on this stage against Serena, a true legend of this sport, is amazing."
The woman who bowed in US Open qualifying last year was hardly awed by this moment becoming the first teenager to win a Grand Slam title since Maria Sharapova ruled Flushing Meadows in 2006.
"I've said this many, many times before," Andreescu said. "I'm going to say it again. It's been a goal of mine to inspire many people, especially Canadian athletes. I think that this win will hopefully do that, not only this win but just what I've accomplished this past year because so many Canadian athletes have paved the way for me when I was young. Hopefully I can be that person to them."
The pressure of her historic quest to capture her 24th Grand Slam title and match Margaret Court's all-time record imposed strain on Williams. The game's most explosive server served just 45 percent, double faulted away multiple service breaks and nearly doubled the teenager's unforced error output (33 to 17)
"I thought she brought more intensity than versatility," Williams told the media afterward. "I didn't give her too much opportunity to have versatility.
"I love Bianca. I think she's a great girl. But I think this was the worst match I've played all tournament. It's hard to know that you could do better. It's just taking it, whatever. I don't even know what to say."
The 18-year, 263-day age disparity was the largest gap between finalists in Grand Slam history and Andreescu had Williams playing catch-up from the start defeating the 10th-seeded American for the second time in a month following her victory in the Toronto final.
Taking the match to Williams from the first ball, Andreescu scored her 13th straight win completing a dazzling debut as the first player to capture the US Open in her main-draw debut.
"Oh man it wasn’t easy at all," Andreescu said. "I tried to prepare my best, tried to step on court and not focus on who I am playing. That’s really easy to say, but not easy to do. I’m proud of how I dealt with everything."
It was a masterful performance of power and passion from Andreescu, who stared down an icon and the overwhelmingly pro-Serena crowd denying the four-time Olympic gold-medal champion's fightback from 1-5 to level the second set.
"Bianca played an unbelievable match," Williams told ESPN's Tom Rinaldi afterward. "Congratulations, so proud and happy fo your. It was incredible tennis out there.
"I wish I could have played better, but if anyone can win this tournament, outside of Venus, I’m happy it’s Bianca."
The 15th-seeded Canadian, who ended 2018 ranked No. 178, erupted in a rocket ride up the rankings with her 24th win in her last 25 matches.
Andreescu converted six of 13 break points and pounded her second-serve returns handing Williams her fourth straight Grand Slam final loss while continuing her commanding run against tennis' elite.
A calm Andreescu raised her record against Top 10 opponents to an eye-popping 8-0 in front of a festive crowd that featured Megan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, seated between Serena’s mother, Oracene Price and coach Patrick Mouratoglou.
Glancing at the silver sign bearing Billie Jean King’s mantra “Pressure is a Privilege”, Williams narrowed her focus and marched toward her latest shot at history opening with an ace wide.
The magnitude of this match was evident from the first game when the crowd spiked with supportive applause when Williams faced a break point.
A tight Williams slapped a second serve into net, gifting the opening break and snapping her streak of 24 consecutive holds stretching back to her fourth-round win over 22nd-seeded Petra Martic.
"It's really hard right now to take that moment in and to say you did okay, because I don't believe I did," Williams said. "I believe I could have played better. I believe I could have done more. I believe I could have just been more Serena today. I honestly don't think Serena showed up. I have to kind of figure out how to get her to show up in Grand Slam finals."
Andreescu succeeded setting an unsettling tone from the start.
"I was really happy about that," Andreescu said of her opening break. "I think she double-faulted for me to win the game. The game plan right from the start was to make her work for every ball, to get as many returns in the court as possible. I think she was intimidated a little bit by it."
Nervous energy surged through the packed Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd like some collective electrical charge of shared drama.
How would the 37-year-old Williams respond to the pressure of playing for history after three consecutive major final losses, including a controversial meltdown against Naomi Osaka a year ago?
And how would the 19-year-old Canadian phenom withstand the physicality of facing the six-time champion on her home Grand Slam court with most of the 23,000 crowd exhorting the American?
Eight minutes into the match, Williams rocked a rib-rattling statement.
Speeding forward for a drop shot, Williams blasted a backhand right back at Andreescu, who reflexed back a reply then wisely ducked as a leaping Williams tomahawked a smash that helped her hold in the third game.
Nearly being force-fed a mouthful of buzzing felt might unnerve most players.
Clearly, Andreescu isn’t most players.
Bidding to become the first player to win the US Open in her debut, Andreescu delivered the ultimate answer sliding an ace down the T that helped her hold for 4-2.
Errors escalated as Williams wasn’t digging balls out of the corner as cleanly or as quickly as Andreescu, who was striking with clarity on the stretch.
“I’m not making any first serves,” Williams muttered to herself after a 122 mph blast missed the mark.
Still, she fought with ferocity fending off five break points in a slugfest of a seventh game that spanned 10 minutes and ended with Williams rapping a forehand winner.
The most impressive aspects of Andreescu’s first set performance were the immediate adjustments she made and the fact she basically beat the 23-time Grand Slam champion at her own game.
Straddling the baseline, Andreescu frequently took the ball earlier, hit her forehand on the rise and even showed a Serena-like skill erasing the lone break point she faced in the first set with an ace extending her lead to 5-3.
Suffocating Serena with the depth of her drives and her skill slashing shots down the line, the Canadian teenager forced the former No. 1 to swing bigger and take more risk. Wobbling under pressure, Williams smacked a double fault ending the 42-minute opening set in the same dispiriting fashion she ended the first game.
Bouncing on her toes like a boxer, Andreescu knew she outclassed Williams. The 5’7” Canadian served 84 percent and committed just six errors in a near pristine first set.
The bad news for Williams: Andreescu was beating her to the ball.
The worse news: Williams was 2-9 lifetime when losing the first set of a Grand Slam final, including 0-3 in US Open finals when surrendering the first set.
The creative Andreescu combines the flexible, physicality of Kim Clijsters with the shrewd court sense and vision of Martina Hingis. The beauty of Andreescu’s game is she build points with consistency, varied trajectory and spin and has answers from all areas of the court.
Bleeding more errors from the woman wearing royal purple, the shrieking squeals of Andreescu’s sneakers spooked Williams into double faulting away her third break of the match as Andreescu tore through her fourth straight game for 2-0.
Unable to hit through the teenager, Williams could have tried playing shorter, sharper angles or heavier forehands to try to displace her or even played deep drives down the middle. Instead, she kept firing away. Fortune favored the former champion when her forehand flagged off the tape and plopped over giving Williams her first break in the third game of the second set.
Draping an ice towel around her neck on the ensuing changeover, Andreescu was unwaveringly cool breaking right back.
The disconcerting challenge for Williams was Andreescu was beating her straight-up in crosscourt forehand exchanges and pulling the trigger down the line with confidence. Launching a flurry of forehands, Andreescu drew the error scoring her fifth break of the final for 3-1.
An off-balance Williams was hopping on one leg teetering on the ledge of loss when she shoveled a drop shot into net as Andreescu served for the title.
In an act of defiance, Williams saved a championship point and broke for 2-5 then charged through a strong hold for 3-5 that caused the crowd to erupt in a raucous standing ovation desperate to urge the home favorite forward.
Another favorable net-cord flowed Williams’ way as she streaked up to the ball and swatted a backhand winner for triple break point. When Andreescu steered a forehand down the line, Williams was back on serve at 4-5 as her husband, Alexis Ohanian, and trainer, Mackie Shilstone, both leaped from their seats thrusting clenched fist toward her.
During the ensuing changeover, Andreescu draped a white towel over her head, Vera Zvonareva-style, trying to mute the madness.
A revitalized Williams won her fourth straight game to level.
Seeing her sizable lead shrink away, Andreescu simplified her strategy to one simple task: put the damn ball in the court.
"I told myself to put the goddamn ball inside the court and just breathe as much as I could because she was serving, first of all," Andreeescu said. "I wanted to win the first point to show her that I am in it to win it."
Undaunted, Andreescu earned a second championship point nearly 25 minutes after the first. Williams whipped a slider ace to erase it.
On the third championship point, Andreescu measured a return and banged a final forehand return that left Williams waving at air. Andreescu flipped her racquet aside, covered her face with her and soaked up history with a satisfied smile.
Billie Jean King famously said "you have to see it, to be it."
When she isn't playing tennis, Andreescu practices meditation.
Tonight, she realized a vision with her eyes wide open.
"This wasn't the only time I visualized playing in the finals actually against Serena Williams. It's so crazy, man," Andreescu told the media as tears welled up in her eyes. "Sorry. I've been dreaming of this moment for the longest time. Like I said after I won the Orange Bowl, a couple months after, I really believed that I could be at this stage.
"Since then, honestly I've been visualizing it almost every single day. For it to become a reality is just so crazy. I guess these visualizations really, really work."