This archive report was first published on 6 September 2019.
On Saturday, Serena Williams will take her fourth shot at Grand Slam history in the U.S. Open final against 19-year-old Bianca Andreescu, a Canadian who was not even born when Williams lifted her first Flushing Meadows trophy.
Williams, who will celebrate her 38th birthday in three weeks, is one short of equalling Margaret Court's record of 24 singles Grand Slam titles. She has had three agonizing near misses since returning to action following the birth of her first child.
Andreescu, who was ranked 178th in the world at the end of last year, has already won two of the WTA Tour's elite events in Indian Wells and Toronto. Her breakout season has seen her become the next big thing in women's tennis.
Andreescu has rarely looked out of place on the big stage, and her run to the U.S. Open final has only confirmed her status as the heir to Williams' crown. The two have met just once before in the final of the Rogers Cup in August, but there is little to be gleaned from the encounter, as Williams quit with back spasms while down 3-1 in the opening set.
Williams has done her best to pretend last year's chaotic and controversial final, which saw Naomi Osaka's victory overshadowed by an explosive confrontation between chair umpire Carlos Ramos and an enraged Williams, never happened. At her first press conference, Williams said she did not know a Carlos Ramos, and on Thursday, when asked if she had learnt any lessons from last year, batted the question answering: 'It hasn't really crossed my mind.'
The final will pit power against power, with Andreescu having demonstrated she is well equipped to go toe-to-toe with the game's big hitters. Few in the history of the sport have delivered more punishment from the baseline than Williams.
Published on September 6, 2019.
