Name: Bianca Andreescu
Nationality: Canadian
Age: 18
Similar playing style to: Caroline Wozniacki
Just as Naomi Osaka threatened to dominate women’s tennis for many years, along comes another superstar, this time from Canada, Bianca Andreescu.
Last year, the teenager was still relatively unknown, there was promise, but now she is delivering tennis way beyond her years. Without doubt the outstanding player of 2019 so far on the women’s tour; coincidentally, her Canadian compatriot, Felix Auger Aliassime, also just 18 years old, is making huge strides on the men’s tour. Big props to Canadian tennis coaches, you’re doing a sterling job.
Andreescu’s 2019 season started in Auckland, ranked 152. Is there a better way to announce yourself on the big stage, than beating both Caroline Wozniacki (then ranked number one) and Venus Williams in straight-sets? I doubt it. Bianca went onto lose in the final to Julia Georges. Despite this, she was the talk of the tournament. Was it a fluke, or are we about to see a surge up the rankings from this teenage sensation?
Onto America, Newport Beach. Andreescu’s game was going from strength to strength, you could see the confidence and belief growing every match, she loved being on the hype train. After a straight sets win over fellow Canadian, Eugenie Bouchard, Andreescu won her first ever ITF title at the age of 18, defeating home finalist Jessica Pegula 0-6 6-4 6-2.
If you don’t believe Bianca is the real deal, watch her Indian Wells tournament performances. Wow. I’d say it’s the best I’ve ever seen a teenager perform across a tournament. She reached the quarter-final stages, with defeats over Dominika Cibulkova and Qiang Wang. Ok, they’re impressive wins, but that’s not even the start. Andreescu brilliantly bullied, an albeit under-par Garbine Muguruza, but still it was a special performance. Into the semi-finals, a brutal war with sixth seed Elina Svitolina. After two absorbing sets, the match went to a decider, leading 5-4, could she serve out the match and setup a final with Angelique Kerber? Do not doubt her.
Her first final against a top 10 seeded player, sink or swim time. This felt like a changing of the guard. Spectacular tennis. No fear. Will to win. She had everything required to be a champion. A final set decider, you would expect the former grand slam champion to have the advantage over an 18 year old, but that just wasn’t the case. It was Andreescu who upped the quality, hit the lines and ran to the finishing line. She was outstanding.
Astounding Andreescu. One of the most astonishing performances at a tournament from an 18 year old, you will ever see.
In the following Miami Open, the Canadian produced another breathtaking performance to defeat Kerber in round 3. Unfortunately, she retired in the following match, citing the reason as a “burnout” but the clay court season is ready for this special talent.
Beating Kerber twice in the space of two weeks has brought the headlines to Andreescu. Forget how good her game is for a minute. The attitude and fearlessness that Andreescu possesses can’t be taught, she was born with that fight, grit and heart. That’s what seperates you from being a winner, or a loser. A majority of teenage players would be overawed by facing Kerber, not this girl. She absolutely relished it, in fact. It looked like she was coming out to dethrone Kerber, saying I’m the new kid on the block, I’m the future of this game. At this moment, Bianca is very raw but so exciting and entertaining. Her groundstrokes aren’t the heaviest on tour (yet), but she breaks opponents down piece by piece, powering balls precisely from side to side.
It feels similar to when Jelena Ostapenko emerged as star, in 2017. A young whizz-kid with crazy amounts of ability, fearing nobody, just having fun on court and destroying the best players in the world.
Denis Shapovalov, Auger Aliassime and Bianca Andreescu. Be very excited Canada. I think you’re about to have your first grand slam singles champion, sooner than you may think.
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