After 27 years of waiting Canada finally has a female tennis player back in the quarter-finals of the US Open after Bianca Andreescu prevailed in a late-night thriller on Monday evening.
Andreescu, who lost in the first round of qualifying at the tournament last year, held her nerve to edge out Taylor Townsend 6-1, 4-6, 6-2. A player who stunned Simona Halep earlier in the draw with her continuous use of the serve and volley. The showdown wasn’t one without incidents. During the third set Andreescu received a code violation for unsportsmanlike conduct when her racket flew out of her hand in the direction of the umpire. She also had to contend with the crowd, who were rallying behind former world No.1 junior Townsend.
“It wasn’t easy. But I heard some Canadian fans here and there, which was nice, especially in tougher moments.” Andreescu commented about the crowd.
“It’s not easy. I tried not to pay attention to that. It’s hard when it’s, like, everyone. I’m glad with how I managed to just keep my cool.”
The 19-year-old is now on a 10-match winning streak after winning the Rogers Cup last month. Her run at the US Open is now the best by a Canadian woman since Patricia Hy-Boulais, who lost in the quarter-finals of the 1992 tournament to Monica Seles. Andreescu has now achieved 28 hard-court wins this season. The join-highest on the WTA Tour along with Karolin Pliskova.
“I actually think I’m playing better here (the US Open) than at the Rogers Cup.” She said.
“I think the scores also show that. It’s definitely nicer to win in two. It’s easier on the body and on the mind.’
“My goal from the beginning of the match to the end is to stay focused throughout the whole match. I think that’s what I’ve been doing really well this week.”
In the midst of her best ever run at a grand slam tournament, the world No.15 has no intention of stopping there with a grand slam title in sight.The rising star has become a revelation on the tour in 2019. She is undefeated against top 10 opposition (7-0) and also triumphed at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells back in March.
“Every tournament I go into, I want to win it. I expect a lot from myself which.” She explained.
“But I’m going to just take it match after match because I know I have a lot of tough opponents before I reach the final. I’m just going to enjoy this moment right now and hopefully I can win on Wednesday.”
Andreescu will take on Elise Mertens for a place in the semi-finals. 25th seed Mertens dropped only two games during her dominant 6-1, 6-1, win over Kristie Ahn. It is the first time the Belgian has reached the quarter-finals at the US Open.
The upcoming clash will be the first ever meeting between the two players. Something Andreescu in unfazed by as she vows to take to the court and continue to ‘play her own game.’
“She takes the ball pretty early from what I’ve seen. She tries to put pressure right from the start of the point. She’s pretty aggressive. I know she has a pretty decent serve, too. She fights really hard.” She said.
“I’m just going to go out there and play my game because it’s been working last couple months.”
Should she reach the final this year, Andreescu would become the first ever Canadian woman to do so.
