Bianca Andreescu just doesn't know how to lose a tennis match these days while Serena Williams suddenly is struggling to win a grand slam final. Andreescu became Canada's first ever grand slam singles champion and at 19, the first teen to win a major since Maria Sharapova 13 years ago. She beat Williams 6-3, 7-5 in Saturday's US Open final that went off without a hitch after the 2018 controversy.
Twelve months ago, Williams clashed with chair umpire Carlos Ramos in a loss to Naomi Osaka and was docked a point, sparking a debate about sexism in tennis.
Most of the 24,000 in attendance last year were passionately rooting for Williams, the home favorite, and that didn't change Saturday. But Williams again finished as the runner-up, despite rallying from 5-1 and match point down in the second set to prompt a nail-biting conclusion.
"I was just thinking, honestly at that point, 'Wow, this is terrible,'" a disheartened Williams told reporters. "Like, 'You got to play better. I have to do better.' I just couldn't go down like that, so I just wanted to play a little bit better."
It was indeed better but not enough to completely turn things around.
Andreescu ripped a return winner on her third match point and the two hugged at the net. Seconds later, Andreescu lay flat on the court, face up, and closed her eyes.
She broke down in tears in her press conference.
"I've been dreaming of this moment for the longest time," said Andreescu, who received a congratulatory tweet from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. "I really believed I could be at this stage."
Williams — watched by her good friend Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, as she was in the Wimbledon final — will have to wait until 2020 to potentially tie Margaret Court's record of winning 24 majors.
The 37-year-old is still tennis royalty, despite losing her last four grand slam finals in straight sets, but acknowledged she has some thinking to do.
"I honestly don't think Serena showed up," Williams said. "I have to kind of figure out how to get her to show up in grand slam finals."
"I love Bianca," added Williams. "I think she's a great girl. But I think this was the worst match I've played all tournament. It's hard to know that you could do better. I don't even know what to say."
Source: CNN
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