"I started tearing up because she was tearing up"- When Bianca Andreescu won the Canadian Open after Serena Williams retired in the final
Bianca Andreescu's only title at the Canadian Open came after Serena Williams retired in the final.
The then-19-year-old was unseeded at the tournament, which was called the Rogers Cup at the time. She reached the final following wins over Eugenie Bouchard, Daria Kasatkina, KiKi Bertens, Karolina Pliskova, and Sofia Kenin.
Andreescu faced eighth seed Serena Williams in the final and led 3-1 in the opening set before the American was forced to retire due to back spasms. The then-teenager thus won her second WTA 1000 title and became the first player from her nation to win the Canadian Open since Faye Urban in 1969.
Williams was in tears after being forced to retire and Bianca Andreescu was seen consoling the former.
Speaking about the incident in her post-match press conference, the Canadian said that she began to tear up after seeing Williams cry. Andreescu also claimed that she called the American a beast and that she would bounce back, having previously dealt with a lot throughout her career.
"Well, I started tearing up because she was tearing up. It's because I know how she feels. Injuries really, really suck. So I just said, 'Girl, you are a beast. You're going to bounce back. You've dealt with so much in your career, this is just a minor setback for a major comeback, I'm sure,'" Andreescu said.
The 2019 season is the best season for Bianca Andreescu as she won 37 out of 44 matches, with three titles to her name. She ended the year as the World No. 5.
Serena Williams lost both of her matches against Bianca Andreescu
Bianca Andreescu is one of the very few players who has a perfect win record against Serena Williams while facing her on multiple occasions. The two locked horns twice, with the Canadian coming out on top on each occasion.
The 2019 Rogers Cup final was the first encounter between the two, and they faced each other in another final that season at the US Open. Seeded 15th, Andreescu reached the title clash of a Grand Slam for the very first time in her career, beating the likes of Caroline Wozniacki, and Belinda Bencic.
She squared off against Serena Williams in the final, who was aiming to win a record-equaling 24th Major singles title. Andreescu won 6-3, 7-5 to become the first Grand Slam champion to be born in the 21st century. This was also her last meeting against Serena Williams.