Canadian teenager Andreescu's
ascent astounds even her coach
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[September 04, 2019]
By Amy Tennery
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A year after
losing in the first qualifying round of the U.S. Open and on the eve
of her maiden Grand Slam quarter-final, the view from Flushing
Meadows looks awfully different for 19-year-old Canadian Bianca
Andreescu.
From a 2018 year-end ranking of 178 to 15th place today, and with
Rogers Cup and Indian Wells titles under her belt this year,
Andreescu's rapid ascent is enough to give any tennis observer
vertigo -- even her coach, Sylvain Bruneau.
"Her journey, I guess, from a year ago has been pretty incredible.
I'd like to say that we kind of had a feeling that it was going to
turn out this way but I didn't," Bruneau told reporters on the eve
of the 15th seed's quarter-final match.
Bruneau, who hass worked with the hard-hitting Andreescu since March
2018, said he always "had a lot of trust in her" amid murmurs she
could be tennis' next bright star.
"I always thought she was going to be a really good player. For me,
that was a given," he said. "But that she was going to be able to
get that quick of a turnaround and from a year ago she lost qualies
here first round and a year later – no."
Harnessing and focusing her natural intensity has been critical,
Bruneau said the morning after her three-set, fourth-round thriller
sent American qualifier Taylor Townsend packing and set up a clash
with Belgian 25th seed Elise Mertens.
[to top of second column] |
Bianca Andreescu of Canada celebrates after match point against
Taylor Townsend of the United States (not pictured) in the fourth
round on day eight of the 2019 US Open tennis tournament at USTA
Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff
Burke-USA TODAY Sports
"I think it needed to be a little bit channeled and (she got) some
tips on how to use all this energy," he said. "I noticed very early
on that she was a born competitor."
Andreescu, who's had an injury-hit year and pulled out of Cincinnati
to rest her body for the year's final Grand Slam, is getting more
confident with added playing time, her coach said.
"I think her game was in place but she needed to really know what
she was able to do," Bruneau said. "I think she knows now."
(Reporting by Amy Tennery; editing by Ken Ferris)
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