Ontario teen Bianca Andreescu made history Saturday by becoming the first Canadian to win a Grand Slam singles title, after beating Serena Williams at the U.S. Open. Here's five things to know about Canada's newest tennis champion.
Titles, titles, titles
Andreescu has the most titles of any Canadian in the modern history of the Women’s Tennis Association, with three tournament wins: Indian Wells, the Rogers Cup and the U.S. Open. The 19 year old won all three titles this year.
Romanian roots, proud 905er
Andreescu's parents immigrated from Romania to Canada in 1994. Andreescu was born in 2000 and lives in Mississauga, Ont. After her U.S. Open win, she got a special shout out from Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie, who promised Andreescu she'd get the key to the city.
Meteoric rise
Andreescu started 2019 ranked 152 and had to play qualifiers to get into tournaments. Since then, she's skyrocketed 147 spots and is now ranked fifth after her win at the U.S. Open.
Beating the big names
Besides forfeits due to injury, Andreescu has not lost a match since March, and is 8-0 against the top 10 players she's faced in 2019. Some of the big names she's beaten include: Angelique Kerber, Elina Svitolina, Kiki Bertens and, of course, Serena Williams.
Furry fan
Andreescu's parents sometimes bring her small dog named Coco to watch her matches. Coco has made appearances at the Miami Open, the Rogers Cup and the U.S. Open, often sitting in Andreescu's mother's lap courtside.
The little pup is often featured in Andreescu's social media posts, and has caught the attention of sports media outlets.
Even the New York Times noticed Coco, noting that the small brown dog was "stealing hearts" at the U.S. Open.
