#SheTheNorth! Bianca Andreescu wins U.S. Open championship

Bianca Andreescu won the U.S. Open women’s championship, defeating Serena Williams in straight sets 6-3, 7-5, to become the first Canadian – male or female – to win a Grand Slam tournament.

It was second time in less than a month that Andreescu and Williams faced each other after squaring off for the Rogers Cup in Toronto.

Andreescu won that final after Williams was forced to retire due to a back injury in a match which lasted just over 19 minutes.

With Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex – and Williams’ good friend looking on, Andresscu attacked from the beginning Saturday, breaking Williams twice in the first set – in the first game and on a double fault to end the set – while facing just one break point.

Williams double-faulted again to give Andreescu another break and a 2-0 lead to start the second set. The American responded by breaking Andreescu for the first time, but then lost her next serve as the Canadian built a 5-1 advantage.

Andreescu put her hands over her mouth in awe after the match when the on-court interviewer mentioned that she was the first Canadian to win a major.

“It’s so hard to explain in words but I’m beyond grateful,” Andreescu said. “I worked really hard for this moment.

“This year has been a dream come true and being able to play on this stage against Serena, a true legend in this sport, is amazing.”

Andreescu’s father, teary-eyed in the crowd, was shown filming the post-match interview and trophy presentation on his cell phone.

While there was a loud applause from the crowd when Andreescu was introduced before the match, the ovation for Williams was deafening.

Andreescu said she had to fight off the crowd noise at times, especially when she saw her 5-1 lead evaporate in the second set.

“I know you guys wanted Serena to win so I’m so sorry,” she said on the court.

It wasn’t a pretty match for Williams, who struggled on her serve throughout, with her first-serve percentage dipping to 25 at one point in the second set.

But the 23-time Grand Slam champion showed fight late, staving off one championship point and breaking Andreescu two straight times to tie the set 5-5 and send the crowd of 26,191 at Arthur Ashe Stadium into a frenzy.

This is Andreescu’s third championship of the year after winning Indian Wells and her hometown Rogers Cup.

The victory propels her to No. 5 in the world rankings, that ties her with Eugenie Bouchard as the highest ranking achieved by a Canadian woman in singles on the WTA.

The eighth-seeded Williams has now reached four major finals since having a baby and lost them all. Two were at Wimbledon and the other last year at the U.S. Open against Naomi Osaka, which quickly devolved after Williams argued with chair umpire Carlos Ramos about a warning over receiving coaching signals.