The 2019 Rogers Cup final will be contested between three-time Toronto champion Serena Williams and Canadian Bianca Andreescu, born in nearby Mississauga, Ontario, to Romanian parents.
Eighth seed Serena Williams was pushed all the way against Czech world No.91 Marie Bouzkova, who was playing her first WTA semifinal and it was with her idol on the other side of the net. Showing no signs of intimidation, qualifier Bouzkova hit deep groundstrokes and dropped just one point behind her first serve in the opening set. After being demolished in the first set, Williams made some adjustments, mostly mentally, as she said, and eventually overpowered her 21-year-old opponent 1-6 6-3 6-3.
Williams will now try to win her first WTA title since returning to competition in 2018 after the birth of her daughter.
Playing her first tournament since May due to a shoulder injury, world No.27 Bianca Andreescu is enjoying a fairytale week. By beating American Sofia Kenin 6-4 7-6(5) in Toronto semifinals, Andreescu became the first Canadian woman to reach the final of the event since 1969.
With nerves of steel, Kenin saved three match points serving at 5-6 to force a tiebreak in the second set. Tense and emotional Andreescu managed to take aggressive charge one last time and progressed to the Premier 5 final on her fifth match point.
“Life is freaking amazing!”
Needless to say, an emotional @Bandreescu_ is delighted to be in the @rogerscup final! pic.twitter.com/KR4MVxSq9E
— WTA (@WTA) August 10, 2019
The Rogers Cup final will be the first career meeting between Williams and Andreescu. The 37-year-old American will be seeking her 73th title, while the Canadian teenager will try to win her second (her first title was the 2019 BNP Paribas Open, which came shortly before her long injury layoff).
