Bianca Andreescu has been an absolute sensation in 2019, continuing her meteoric rise through to the final of the US Open with a chance to win her first Grand Slam at just 19 years old. On Thursday, she defeated Belinda Bencic in the semifinal to become the first Canadian to ever reach the tournament final.
Her final hurdle will be one of the all-time greats: Serena Williams, still a force and ranked No. 8 in the world at 37 years old. The two also faced off in the final of the Canadian Open, but we were robbed of a highly-anticipated matchup after Serena was forced to retire early in the match due to an upper back injury.
There might be even more anticipation for the rematch; the US Open is certainly a greater stage. This final will actually feature the largest age gap between finalists at any major in tennis’ Open Era, which dates to 1968.
When a 17-year-old Serena won her first Grand Slam at the 1999 US Open, Andreescu hadn’t even been born yet. That’s crazy to think about, but here we are now, two decades later. It almost feels like tennis’ past against tennis’ future, except that even in the present, the 37-year-old and the 19-year-old are already two of the finest in the game right now.
For Andreescu, she grew up watching Serena’s prime, and this chance to win her first major against an icon is a special one. With any luck, she can pull it off and complete that special childhood ritual.
