The Romanian origin
Although she was born in Ontario, Bianca Andreescu has a Romanian origin. Both her parents are from Romania moving to Canada after her father Nicu Andreescu received a job offer. When she was 7 years old, Bianca and her parents temporarily moved back to Romania before returning to Canada. It was in Romania where Bianca started playing tennis.
Speaking on being backed by Romanians, Bianca said that she also loves all the Romanian media. She also said that it’s a nice feeling to have two fan bases—Canada and Romania. The Romanian community in Canada has also considered her as a star not only in the sports but in the community as well.
Rise in rankings
Most Romanians in Canada have witnessed Bianca Andreescu’s meteoric rise in the rankings. She ended 2018 as the 152nd ranked player. Entering the US Open final, she was ranked 14th; she is now the new world no.5.
Toronto native Cristina Onose and a member of the Romanian-Canadian community said that the fact that Andreescu was born and grew up in Canada adds a different level of admiration. She said that the community is adding her name to the list of Romanian sports superstar which includes Nadia Comaneci, the first gymnast to receive a perfect 10 at the Olympics and fellow tennis star Simona Halep. Onose continued by saying that she had been eyeing Bianca for a year or so. What was thrilling for her was the steady rise.
The pride of the Romanian-Canadian community
For Bogdan Stanescu, president of the Ontario Romanian Canadian Association and an avid tennis fan, watching Bianca play is nothing new. He has witnessed her practice on several occasions over the years. He admires her dedication and hard work.
Stanescu said that he is always filled with excitement watching Andreescu. His organization organized a viewing party at a Toronto pub where people gathered to cheer Andreescu. He believes that Bianca’s success story will usher in a new era of Romanian-Canadian tennis greats.
But pride in Andreescu transcends beyond the small Romanian-Canadian community, composed of roughly 240,000 people with Romanian roots in the last census.
Bianca Andreescu’s victory promoted the trending hashtag “#SheTheNorth much like the Toronto Raptors “We the North” slogan after winning the NBA championship in June this year.
Bianca Vanessa Andreescu’s ranking and performance in 2019
Ranked no.5 (career-high), Andreescu played her last match on the 7th of September when she defeated Serena Williams 6-3 7-5 in the final in U.S. Open to win her 3rd career title.
This year Andreescu has a 43-4 win-loss record. The Canadian clinched 4 titles in 2019 in the Newport Beach, in Indian Wells, in Toronto and at the U.S. Open. The Canadian was the finalist in Auckland.
Bianca Vanessa Andreescu |
| Embed from Getty Images |
