Bianca Andreescu secured her first grand slam title with a stunning 6-3, 7-5 victory over Serena Williams in the US Open women’s final in New York.
The 19-year-old, playing in the main draw for the first time in New York, becomes the first Canadian woman to win a grand slam singles title in the Open era.
Her victory also means that Williams remains on 23 grand slams – one behind Margaret Court’s record. Williams, 37, has now lost four successive major finals.
Andreescu described her victory as a “dream come true” while Williams said her performance was “inexcusable”.
What the players said
Bianca Andreescu
“This year has been a dream come true. I am beyond grateful and truly blessed. I’ve worked really hard for this moment. To play on this stage against Serena – a true legend of the sport – is amazing.
“I was feeling many, many things before the match, more than any other match. In the finals, playing Serena. I just tried to breathe as much as I could from the moment I woke up until the match.
“I tried to just do that throughout the whole match, to just keep my nerves in place. It wasn’t easy at all, but I think that’s what I’ve been doing really well throughout this whole year.”
Serena Williams
“Bianca played an unbelievable match. I’m so proud and happy for you, it was incredible tennis out there.
“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. It’s inexcusable for me to play at that level.”
How pundits reacted
Jim Smith, Last Word on Tennis
“What is causing these drops in performance in major finals? The answer appears to be that Williams wants to win too much. Although winning on the biggest stage was once a matter of course for Williams, she will head into next year’s Australian Open without having won a Grand Slam for two years and still one title short of Court’s record haul of 24 majors. Both of those facts seem to be weighing her down when she steps on court in grand slam finals.”
Jonathan Jurejko, BBC Sport
“Three years ago, a 16-year-old Bianca Andreescu wrote herself a fake cheque. That cheque was a mock-up of the one given to the US Open champion. Now, after beating the great Serena Williams 6-3, 7-5 in Saturday’s compelling final, the composed Canadian is ready to cash a real one worth about £3.1m.”
Kevin Mitchell, The Guardian
“If, as many good judges suspect, this is the changing of the guard, it was a privilege to witness it. It was not a great match, but it was a significant one. History almost weighed both of them down, but it was Andreescu, younger by nearly 19 years – the biggest age gap in a slam final in the Open era – who held steady. It was the grand dame of tennis who cracked, despite launching a brave and desperate fightback in the second set.”
Tera W. Hunter, New York Times
“Serena Williams’s legacy is sealed, whether or not she ever hits a tennis ball again. Of course it’s sad she didn’t beat Bianca Andreescu at the finals of the US Open Championships and match Margaret Court’s record of 24 Grand Slam singles titles. But her contributions to the game are much bigger than reaching another Grand Slam final.”
