Bianca Andreescu improves to 10-0 at U.S. Open

NEW YORK (AP) — Why yes, that was Bianca Andreescu who improved her lifetime U.S. Open record to 10-0 by defeating Greet Minnen 6-1, 6-2.

The first player from Canada to win a Grand Slam singles title returned to the tournament after sitting out last year; she missed the full 2020 season after tearing the meniscus in her left knee. The 21-year-old Andreescu seemingly picked up where she left off in 2019 when she pulled out a 6-3, 7-5 victory over Serena Williams to win the U.S. Open.

But the road back to Flushing Meadows has been riddled with roadblocks, everything from injuries that contributed to her missing all of 2020 to COVID-19 to a first-round loss this year at Wimbledon.

She hasn’t necessarily been forgotten in New York. The sixth-seeded Andreescu just hasn’t been stamped as a serious threat to win it all.

“So far, I’m loving it,” she said. “I hope that it can continue like this the whole way and I can be 14-0 at the U.S. Open.”

Her win streak may not yet rival the streaks set by Rafael Nadal, who won his first 31 matches in the French Open, or Rod Laver, who won Wimbledon in his first two appearances as a professional, but they beat the alternative.

“I feel very grateful to have accomplished that and to be alongside all those amazing players,” she said. “I hope that I can continue my streak and make it two in a row.”

Up next, a match Monday against Maria Sakkari.