Everything we know about tennis prodigy Bianca Andreescu
Regardless of the outcome of Bianca Andreescu’s showdown against Serena Williams tomorrow at the U.S. Open final, the 19-year-old grand slammer has earned herself a spot in Canada’s athletic record book. After starting the season ranked 152, she basically exploded out of nowhere to beat big-name racket queens (Williams! Wozniacki!) and become the first Canadian to win the Rogers Cup in 50 years. (Against Serena Williams no less, who forfeited in the first set because of a back injury.) On the eve of the big game, here’s everything you need to know about the rising star:
The U.S. Open match is a really big deal
In a recent interview, Canadian tennis great—and Olympic gold medallist—Daniel Nestor said there’s never been a bigger moment in Canadian tennis history than this one. Andreescu is bigger than Bouchard and bigger than Raonic, who made the Wimbledon finals in 2014 and 2016 respectively. The whole thing is essentially a higher-stakes do-over of the Rogers Cup match: Serena (who lost to Naomi Osaka last year) is on a mission to prove she can dominate post-motherhood and tie the all-time record for grand slam wins. But Bianca also has plenty of motivation. Beating the GOAT (before turning 20) would basically put her on par with the prodigious likes of Mozart and Stevie Wonder. (Plus, Meghan Markle is going to be in the stands!)
She’s in the top 10 either way
Back in February, Andreescu said her goal for this season was to crack the top 50, which she’s already done. (Currently, she’s sitting at number 15.) If she wins tomorrow, she’ll climb an additional 10 spots to take number five. If she loses, she’ll be sitting at number nine.
It’s her first grand slam final
It’s also the first time a Canadian has played in the U.S. Open singles final, and only the second time a Canadian woman has played in a grand slam final (Bouchard is the other).
She started her training in Romania
Andreescu was born here, but when she was seven her parents decided to move back to their home country. That’s where she started playing tennis until the family moved back to Canada so that Bianca could train at the Ontario racket club.
She’s got her own hashtag
Playing off the popular Raptors slogan, fans of Canada’s racket queen have taken to using #SheTheNorth.
And a pretty low-key pre-game ritual
“I always grip my rackets before my match, I always wash my hands before I step on the court, and I always listen to hip hop. Right now it’s Kodak Black,” Andreescu told Toronto Life back in February.
She met her idol
And got some kudos from Serena Williams
She’s super superstitious
Andreescu carries a lucky penny at every match. She found it when she was 14, when she was in France playing a juniors tournament (she won, obviously).
She loves Drake
She’s a Toronto teen, after all. She even joked about wanting to play “Started from the Bottom” during her U.S. Open walk-ons.
And she’s rich!
According to TSN, a win tomorrow would push her total earnings over the $6-million mark.
She’s got a rival
Back in March, she played German tennis star (and current number four) Angelique Kerber at the Miami Open. After the seventh game, Andreescu called a medical timeout to address her shoulder and things got kind of frosty following her win. When the two women met at the net for the standard handshake, Kerber couldn’t pull her paw back fast enough, telling Andreescu, “You’re the biggest drama queen ever.”
The Internet is obsessed with her mom
Maria Andreescu’s courtside style choices and overall mojo turned her into Tennis Twitter’s new crush. “My mom’s honestly the coolest person I know,” the younger Andreescu said in a post-match interview. (She certainly has cool shades.)
And her puppy
Because—come on—who wouldn’t love little Coco?
