Unbeknown to probably many on here a great sporting win and a historical one occurred for Canada yesterday.... in Womens Tennis.
18 year old teenager, Bianca Andreescu ranked 150th in the world at the beginning of the year won a premier WTA tournament event in Indian Wells California yesterday beating former Wimbledon and Australian open Grand Slam champion Angelique Kerber in three sets the most prominent victory by a Canadian in any singles tennis event in history. Indian Wells is just a notch below the 4 major grand slams of the tennis season, the Australian, French and US Opens and Wimbledon. She earned $1.3 million for the effort and is now up to being ranked 24th in the world.
Bianca was the first ever wild card entry to win this prestigious tournament and beat up several other seeded and former grand slam champions on the way to the finals including Garbine Mugaruza and Elina Svitolina two more of the top ranked women players in tennis. Andreescu has a really exciting game to watch in that she mixes her shots up well sometimes hitting moonballs and drop shots and at this point seems to frequently have her opponents confused.
The key point in her victory against Kerber in the final comes in this video. She wins the first set, loses the second and is down 3 games to 2 in the third when she comes to the bench for some therapy to her shoulder whining and complaining and has a conversation with her coach and he expertly refocuses her to the point where she says how bad she wants to win. (you may have to play a bit with the volume on this clip if you watch it but its worth seeing how Sylvan Bruneau remotivates her)
<iframe src="//www.cbc.ca/i/caffeine/syndicate/?mediaId=1459949635757" width="791" height="447" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Following this conversation she sucks it up and goes on to win 9 straight points and 4 of the next five games to win the championship. Its a shame it wasnt televised but TSN has more stakes in the mens tour with 3 premier Canadian male players to focus on while Andreescu wasnt expected to get past the second round in this tournament so I get it.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hKm0dCrfaiE" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Anyways Bianca Andreescu is just 18 and highly motivated, and if her career is managed properly and she doesnt burn herself out or get distracted by fame( eg Genie Bouchard) like so many others do on the tour she should be the first ever Canadian to win a singles Grand Slam event in tennis male or female.
Dont know how others feel about this but I am really proud as a Canadian of the guts and determination she showed in pulling this off.
18 year old teenager, Bianca Andreescu ranked 150th in the world at the beginning of the year won a premier WTA tournament event in Indian Wells California yesterday beating former Wimbledon and Australian open Grand Slam champion Angelique Kerber in three sets the most prominent victory by a Canadian in any singles tennis event in history. Indian Wells is just a notch below the 4 major grand slams of the tennis season, the Australian, French and US Opens and Wimbledon. She earned $1.3 million for the effort and is now up to being ranked 24th in the world.
Bianca was the first ever wild card entry to win this prestigious tournament and beat up several other seeded and former grand slam champions on the way to the finals including Garbine Mugaruza and Elina Svitolina two more of the top ranked women players in tennis. Andreescu has a really exciting game to watch in that she mixes her shots up well sometimes hitting moonballs and drop shots and at this point seems to frequently have her opponents confused.
The key point in her victory against Kerber in the final comes in this video. She wins the first set, loses the second and is down 3 games to 2 in the third when she comes to the bench for some therapy to her shoulder whining and complaining and has a conversation with her coach and he expertly refocuses her to the point where she says how bad she wants to win. (you may have to play a bit with the volume on this clip if you watch it but its worth seeing how Sylvan Bruneau remotivates her)
<iframe src="//www.cbc.ca/i/caffeine/syndicate/?mediaId=1459949635757" width="791" height="447" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Following this conversation she sucks it up and goes on to win 9 straight points and 4 of the next five games to win the championship. Its a shame it wasnt televised but TSN has more stakes in the mens tour with 3 premier Canadian male players to focus on while Andreescu wasnt expected to get past the second round in this tournament so I get it.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hKm0dCrfaiE" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Anyways Bianca Andreescu is just 18 and highly motivated, and if her career is managed properly and she doesnt burn herself out or get distracted by fame( eg Genie Bouchard) like so many others do on the tour she should be the first ever Canadian to win a singles Grand Slam event in tennis male or female.
Dont know how others feel about this but I am really proud as a Canadian of the guts and determination she showed in pulling this off.
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