All eyes were focused on tennis phenom Serena Williams last week as she looked to bring home a seventh US Open title and a 24th Grand Slam title to add to her impressive collection. She faced 19 year-old Canadian star Bianca Andreescu, an opponent who she lost to in the Canadian Open one-month prior, making the stakes incredibly high on both ends. However, the extra 18 years of experience had nothing on Andreescu, who ended on top for a second time against the veteran Williams within this short span of time.
Winning the title for the first time and becoming the first Canadian to win a Grand Slam in the singles category, Andreescu swept Williams in straight sets with scores of 6-3 and 7-5. Despite the scoreboard, the match was not an easy win for Andreescu, who felt Williams inching back after an early 5-1 in the second set. The American veteran made a comeback to even the score at 5-5, showing a little life after her first set loss. However, Andreescu maintained her poise to finish out the match with a win, commenting, “I just told myself to stick with my tactics…I just tried to stay as composed as I could. It’s hard to just block everything out, but I think I did a pretty good job at that,” in an interview with the U.S. Open. She was correct, as she polished off Williams to win the prestigious honor in her very first US Open main-draw.
Not only is Andreescu’s win both impressive at her young age, but so is William’s performance, as she returns to the court after giving birth to her first child Alexis. Just before the match was played on Saturday, September 7th, the Washington Post noted that if Williams won yet another Grand Slam after childbirth it “could be the mother of all accomplishments.” While it may seem as if childbirth would be a setback in one’s athletic career, it in no way should be placed as a disclaimer within highly-regarded media outlets as a limitation to one’s athletic performance. Whether it be age, pregnancy, or any other varying factor that might affect one’s body, it is not these aspects of our identities that makes for winning or losing the world’s finest tennis tournaments. With that being said, the honor should be extended to both women for leaving everything out there on the court, and for competing whole-heartedly for the sport they live and breathe for.
To make note of the other results, Spainiard Rafael Nadal defeated Daniil Medvedev of Russia in five sets with scores of 7-5, 6-3, 5-7, 4-6, and 6-4. In women’s doubles, Elise Mertens of Belgium and Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus beat Ashleigh Barty of Australia and Victoria Azarenka of Belarus in straight sets, both by a margin of 7-5. Lastly, the men’s doubles tournament ended with a win for Columbian natives Juan Sebastián Cabal and Robert Farah, as they polished off Marcel Granollers of Spain and Horacio Zeballos of Argentina with scores of 6-4 and 7-5.
