Williams enthrall while Andreescu withdraws
Williams enthrall while Andreescu withdraws, just weeks before the US Open. Bianca Andreescu, the reigning US Open champion, announced her withdrawal from the 2020 US Open. She claims, the pandemic prevented her from training effectively for the event and elected to stay away. The Williams sisters, in the meanwhile, put an enthralling display of tennis in the second round of the Lexington Open.
Serena Williams wanted to win for her confidence
Serena Williams overcame a 4-2 deficit in the third set to beat her older sister Venus 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. The younger Williams, with the win on Thursday, improved to 19-12 in the rivalry between the sisters. The 23 times grand slam winner is only one shy of matching Margret Court’s record of 24.
“I wanted to win this for my game and my confidence,” said Serena, the runners up at the 2019 US Open. “I honestly didn’t come here to win (a title) for the first time in my career.”
Also read – Serena is the queen on and off the court!
Serena had missed competitive tennis since February 2020 and needed the match practice. “I just came here to get some matches,” said Serena, after the win over Venus. “I haven’t had this much time off since I had the baby.”
Venus Williams continues to defy age
Venus Williams, now 40, continues to defy age and challenge the very best. She pushed Serena to produce the very best in the end.
“She played unbelievable,” Serena said of her older sister. “She’s doing so good. I honestly don’t know how I was able to pull it off at the end. She played so well.”
Serena advanced to meet Shelby Rogers, another fellow American, in the quarter final.
Bianca will be sorely missed at the US Open 2020
Andreescu is not the only top ten player to opt out of the US Open 2020. Ash Barty, Elina Svitolina, and Kiki Bertens already announced their decision to stay away.
Bianca Andreescu, however, will be sorely missed. The highest ranked Canadian professional in the history of WTA comprehensively overpowered the Queen in the final at the US Open 2019. She is also the first Canadian to win a slam and the first to win the US Open in her main draw debut.
Andreescu’s game is a potent mix of power and variety and troubles most in the WTA. She enjoyed a career 7-0 advantage against the top 10 until her quarterfinal loss to Naomi Osaka at the China Open, in Fall of 2019. An injury free Bianca would be our favorite to lift the title at the US Open. It’s a shame she will not defend her US Open crown this year.
Andreescu is a tennis prodigy
Bianca is a tennis prodigy by all accounts. She rose from 152 at the start of 2019 to number 5 in the WTA within 9 months! She was the first wild card singles champion at the 2019 Indian Wells and defeated Svitolina, as well as Kerber en route to the title. Bianca became the first 18 year old to win the Indian Wells since Serena in 1999. And, the first teen, since Sharapova in 2006, to lift a slam!
We wish Bianca the very best and an expedited as well as injury free return to competitive tennis.