Seen partying with NBA icon Danny Green at Toronto night club
Bianca Andreescu was 3-1 in the first set when the unthinkable happened. Serena Williams in tears at the award ceremony
Injury-plagued 18-year-old tennis star Bianca Andreescu became the first Canadian woman to win the Rogers Cup in 50 years, on Sunday under unexpected circumstances.
Mississauga, Ontario native who was sporting a bandage on her left thigh had missed several tournaments due to injuries in the past. She withdrew from the French Open due to injuries but bounced back to emerge as the Rogers Cup winner when the tennis legend Serena Williams was forced to bow out due to back spasms.
It was certainly a win by default but what Andreescu did after Williams walked away, made her an instant heartthrob in the sporting world.
She walked over to teary-eyed 37-year-old champion of 23 Grand Slam, hugged her and knelt before her gushing how she admired her. She took the hand of the disheartened champion telling her how much she admired Williams. She told her she could relate to how it feels to make that agonizing call to end a match. Williams had been winning championships even before Andreescu was born.
Addressing a press conference later Andreescu said: “I truly felt for her so much after what I’ve experienced with injuries in my short career. I told her that she’s a beast as she’s gonna bounce back…Just having that little conversation with her meant so much to me. I got her to crack a smile, so that made me feel really good.”
Williams called Andreescu an “old soul” for the way she handled herself. Those words were special for Andreescu, who grew up idolizing the American champion.
“She’s wiser than her, what is she? Nineteen years old?” said Williams, who added that the brief encounter with Andreescu was the highlight of the tournament for her. “She definitely doesn’t seem like a 19-year old in her words, on court and her game, her attitude, her actions.”
Andresscu who beat seven out of top ten players to reach the finals said, “I’ve watched her play my whole life,” She’s a champion and she’s an inspiration on and off the court. So having those words come out of her mouth about me is pretty damn awesome.”
Tennis icon Billie Jean King, famous for pushing for women’s equality in the sport, also joined the cheers on social media, saying Andreescu showed “a level of maturity well beyond her years.”
When told about King’s message, Andreescu was temporarily rendered speechless. “Oh my god,” she said after a moment. “I know Billie Jean King and even Serena have fought for women’s equality. So my goal is to just follow in their footsteps and to contribute to that, too.”
Winning the Rogers Cup rocketed Andreescu up the WTA Tour rankings to No. 14 on Monday. Last week, she held the 27th spot. At the end of 2018, the teen sat at No. 178. This season, she has gone 38-5 across all levels, and Sunday’s result marked her 17th straight win, not counting when she has had to retire or withdraw from matches due to injury.
The first Canadian woman to win the Rogers Cup tennis tournament 50 years ago, Faye Urban-Mlacak, said she was impressed with the 19-year-old championship victory.
After Andreescu’s victory, fellow Canadian Eugenie Bouchard tweeted a jab at the winner. “Sooooo basically I coulda won the Rogers Cup,” Bouchard tweeted about the tournament’s shocking outcome. She quickly followed up with “Kidding” and an eye-roll emoji, presumably in response to the negative feedback. The jab couldn’t have come at a worse time, especially when considering the fact that Bouchard lost to Andreescu in the opening round of the tournament.
Meanwhile, Andresscu was spotted partying with NBA star Danny Green on Monday at a Toronto night club. Green played for Toronto basketball team Raptors that won the NBA championship this year beating Golden State Warriors earning his second championship. He won the first one with San Antionio Spurs in 2014. The Lakers signed him to a two-year $30 million contract on July 6, 2019.
Andresscu’s parents are from Romania and she was born in Mississauga in Ontario. She started playing tennis at age 7 in Pitesti when the family moved back to her parents’ native Romania. A few years later, the Andreescus returned to live in Canada. The rest is history! – newstrails.com
