For the first time in 50 years, Canada has a finalist at the Rogers Cup women’s singles tournament.
Nineteen-year-old Bianca Andreescu has been nothing short of spectacular throughout her run to the final as she chases a title in her own backyard.
Now, she’ll face arguably the toughest test of them all. On the other side of centre court at 1:30 p.m. ET Sunday will be former world No. 1 and all-time great Serena Williams, the No. 8 seed in the tournament. And if the road to the final has been any indication, the crowd will be loud and the energy will be vibrant as youth and legend match up in Toronto.
Here are some key factors to watch in Sunday’s match.
On the verge of history. @Bandreescu_ vs. @serenawilliams for the @rogerscup . You don't wanna miss out on the moment. pic.twitter.com/mPThD3V4Hq
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) August 11, 2019
Road to the final
Andreescu’s week hasn’t exactly been easy.
The Canadian, who’s playing her first tournament after missing nearly four months with a shoulder injury, saw four of her five matches stretch onto a third set. The week that started with a win over fellow Canadian Eugenie Bouchard turned into a perfect Cinderella story tennis fans will never forget. Andreescu went on to beat Daria Kasatkina, No. 5-seed Kiki Bertens, No. 3-seed Karolina Pliskova and up-and-coming American Sofia Kenin.
The current-World No. 27 has dealt with some groin discomfort during the tournament, which was to be expected after a long time away from the courts.
Williams, on the other hand, has had a much easier time this week, surrendering only one set in her previous four matches. She defeated Elise Mertens, Ekaterina Alexandrova, No. 2-seed Naomi Osaka — a U.S. Open final rematch — and Marie Bouzkova to reach the final.
Saturday’s semifinal against Bouzkova was the stage of a miraculous comeback by the current world No. 10, who won just one game in the first set before taking the final two by the score of 6-3.
The American has also had a tough year with injuries, as she’s played in just six tournaments this year and was forced to withdraw from three of them.
Fatigue and endurance will be a key factor between two extremely high-energy athletes.
Youth vs. experience
It’s been a successful 24 years of pro tennis for Williams.
The 37-year-old turned pro in 1995 — five years before Andreescu was born.
The Canadian will play for just her second career WTA singles title when she steps onto centre court on Sunday, while Williams will chase her 73rd career title and her fourth Rogers Cup in five trips to the final — she was crowned champion in 2001, 2011 and 2013.
Watching from the stands as she lost the 2015 semifinal to Belinda Bencic? Bianca.
Williams considerably brought up the age average of the Rogers Cup semifinals, which featured three players under the age of 22.
This year, Andreescu has one singles title — at Indian Wells in March — while Williams is still looking for her first. After starting the year at 118 in the WTA rankings, Andreescu is winding up to enter the top-20 for the first time in her career thanks to her Rogers Cup campaign.
While Serena’s Hall of Fame career has given her enough fuel to power a lifetime of confidence, Bianca seems naturally acclimated to the big stage. It’ll be interesting to see how the Canadian’s wide arsenal of shots — that range from sharp-angle winners to finesse drop-shots — will play out against Williams’ strength and incredible tennis IQ.
Serena looks forward to facing Bianca
Williams is still hopeful that some of the fans will cheer for her instead of Andreescu in the final. While that seems a little improbable, the American is still excited about facing the hometown favourite for the first time.
“I’ve kind of become a fan [of Andreescu] with everyone rooting and cheering so hard,” Williams said on Saturday. “It’s kind of been contagious, you know, the Bianca effect. I’ve actually always wanted to play her so I look forward to it.”
Perhaps if Williams checked Andreescu’s perfect 6-0 record against top-10 players this season she wouldn’t be so eager about the matchup.
The Canadian, on the other hand, seems purely blissful to be in the final in front of her home crowd. And she’ll surely carry the same confidence she’s shown all week into this final match.
“I’ve been through so much the last two months, all I can say is that I’m so happy to be back on the court right now,” Andreescu said through tears following Saturday’s match. “I’m in the finals of the Rogers Cup. Life is freakin’ amazing!”
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