Almost 18 months after starting her comeback to the tour following the birth of her first daughter, Serena Williams has achieved a new milestone.
The 23-time grand slam champion rallied from a first set thrashing to defeat Czech underdog Marie Bouzková 1-6, 6-3, 6-3, in the semi-finals of the Rogers Cup. Fending off three break points during the early stages of the final set before breaking her opponent on route to victory. Finishing the match with 36 winners to 38 unforced errors to reach her first Rogers Cup final since 2013.
“I just needed to be more consistent and not make so many errors and just mentally be ready to hit a thousand balls if I needed to.” Williams commented about how she managed to turn the match around.
“In the first set, I was going for a little too much, so I just had to just play a different game.”
Despite going deep at numerous grand slam tournaments in recent months, it is the first time Williams has reached the final of a WTA Tournament as a mother. Prior to this week, her last appearance in a non-grand slam final was at the 2016 Italian Open where she won the title.
“I haven’t had this in a really long time.” Williams commented about her latest run. “We’ll see what happens. It’s definitely different for me.”
Gunning for title No.73 at the age of 37, the American faces a stern test in Sunday’s final. Awaiting her will be comeback kid Bianca Andreescu, who is only participating in her second tournament since March due to injury. She is the first Canadian woman to reach the final of the Rogers Cup since 1969.
The upcoming clash will be the first between Williams and Andreescu. On paper, the former world No.1 heads into the match as the favourite. However, Andreescu has been ruthless against top 10 opposition in 2019 with a win-loss record of 6-0.
“I’ve watched Serena play so many times. It would be really cool to play Serena.” She said following her 6-4, 7-6(5), win over Sofia Kenin.
“When I go out there, I’m fearless. So hopefully that will be the case when I play her.” Andreescu added.
It isn’t just her opponent Williams will have to contend with, it is also the home crowd. Something she insists that she isn’t fazed by.
“The crowd will obviously be for her. I definitely would too. But it’s really not about that. It’s just about going out there and playing your great tennis.” Explained Williams.
“Luckily, I’ve had some tough crowds in my career, so hopefully I will be used to it.”
Should Williams win the title, she would become only the third woman in the Open Era to win the Rogers Cup for a fourth time. Following in the footsteps of Chris Evert and Monica Seles.
