In less than three months, Bianca Andreescu has gone from unknown player to the hottest player in tennis. (© Salajean - Dreamstime.com)
You might remember back in January when we wrote about Bianca Andreescu. Back then, this barely-known teenaged tennis player from Mississauga, Ontario had just beaten two top female tennis players on her way to finishing runner-up at a season-opening tournament in Auckland, New Zealand.
At the time, the general feeling was, "Wow, that's pretty cool. Wonder if she'll be able to keep it up..."
Apparently she can.
O.M.G. (Getty Embed)
Yesterday, Andreescu defeated German Angelique Kerber 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 to win the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California. It is the biggest tournament win—by a male or female—in Canadian tennis history.
The joy. The celebration. An unforgettable week. ? @Bandreescu_ #BNPPO19
— BNP Paribas Open (@BNPPARIBASOPEN) March 17, 2019
Bianca by the numbers
Andreescu serves up another win in California. (Getty Embed)
Because we know that tennis—and women's sports in general—doesn't get the coverage that other sports do, we thought now would be a good moment to put Bianca Andreescu's achievement into perspective. Let's dive in!
152. That was her world ranking at the start of 2019. As of this morning? It's up to 24. In tennis, it takes consistent wins to climb the rankings so quickly. Which leads us to...
28. That's how many wins she has so far in 2019, more than any other player. Period. Meanwhile, she has lost just 3 times.
18. That's her age. She is the youngest winner of Indian Wells since Serena Williams won it as a 17 year-old in 1999. (Serena is arguably the greatest women's tennis player of all time, so that's pretty great company!)
18yo Bianca Andreescu is the youngest champion of a Premier Mandatory tournament and the youngest @BNPPARIBASOPEN champion since Serena Williams in 1999.
She is the 4th youngest IW champ: https://t.co/MaBQ3nPBgh pic.twitter.com/TbMDqQqEp9
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) March 17, 2019
Speaking of Indian Wells...
5th. A lot of people call Indian Wells "the fifth Grand Slam". This is a reference to its place as the sport's largest event outside of the four Grand Slams—Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, U.S. Open. In other words, this is a huge win.
Wildcard. Okay, not a number, but anyway... Players receive entry into tournaments based on their world ranking. But a tournament director can also allow a player to participate because their recent play or history makes them worthy. This is called a wildcard entry. Andreescu was a wildcard at Indian Wells. She is the first wildcard ever to win the whole thing.
Future now
Andreescu poses with her trophy on Sunday. (Getty Embed)
Where does all of this put Bianca Andreescu? For one thing, it's right back to work for this new star. The Miami Open is underway and her first match will happen Wednesday. In fact, her first round opponent there will be the same one she had in Indian Wells: Romanian Irina-Camelia Begu.
What's more, her ability to shock opponents is now officially gone. Other tennis players will be determined and focused on the court.
But Andreescu seems ready for that challenge. Already she has faced several Grand Slam champions and multiple former number one players and beaten them all. Speaking of number one, the current top player is Japan's Naomi Osaka, who has won the last two Grand Slam tournaments. Can you guess what her first big championship win was? Indian Wells, last year.
From a wild card to the Indian Wells champion – Bianca Andreescu just made history. Congratulations, @Bandreescu_! #BiancaRising ??? https://t.co/0IBTOfcZQH
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) March 18, 2019
We can't wait to see what it next for Bianca!
