Andreescu outduels Bencic at US Open to reach 1st Grand Slam final
Bianca Andreescu never quits.
The Canadian teenager booked a berth in her first-ever Grand Slam final Thursday night, showcasing her never-say-die attitude in a gritty 7-6 (3), 7-5 win over Belinda Bencic in their US Open semifinal clash.
She'll now meet six-time US Open winner Serena Williams on Saturday in a rematch of this summer's Rogers Cup final; the latter was forced to abruptly retire from that encounter due to a back injury.
Williams' first title at Flushing Meadows in 1999 came before the 19-year-old Andreescu was even born.
A victory for Andreescu on Saturday - over the 23-time major champion, no less - would cap a meteoric rise to stardom for the native of Mississauga, Ontario. She was ranked outside the top 200 at this time last year and was ousted in the first round of qualifying in New York.
"If someone told me a year ago that I'd be in the finals of the US Open this year, I'd tell them 'you're crazy,'" she said after the match. "It's just surreal, I really don't know what to say. It's a dream come true, playing against Serena in the finals of the US Open ... it's crazy, it's crazy."
Andreescu had to grind out a win Thursday to set up the dream encounter. She saved six break points in the first set against Bencic before controlling the tiebreaker. She then outdid herself in the second stanza, roaring back from a 5-2 deficit as her Swiss counterpart unraveled at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The plucky victory makes Andreescu the first Canadian to ever reach a singles final at the US Open.