A tearful Serena Williams saw her US Open preparation thrown into
disarray Sunday as back spasms forced her out of the WTA Toronto final
after just four games, handing Canadian teenager Bianca Andreescu the
title.
Andreescu, 19, was up 3-1 with a break of serve when 23-time Grand Slam champion Williams decided she couldn't continue.
She called for a medical timeout, but within a minute, the umpire announced she was retiring.
"I just knew," said Williams, adding she'd undergone hours of treatment
before the match to combat the back spasms she'd first felt in a
semi-final win on Saturday night. "I knew I wasn't going to be able to
continue."
Andreescu approached her chair, offering words of encouragement and a consolatory hug as Williams tried to fight back tears.
"I'm sorry I couldn't do it today," Williams told the crowd, her voice cracking. "I tried but I just couldn't do it."
Williams said the spasms started during her come-from-behind win over
Czech qualifier Marie Bouzkova on Saturday "and it just got worse."
"Just my whole back just completely spasmed, and to a point where I couldn't sleep and I couldn't really move," she said.
Nevertheless, she wanted to give it a go in the final.
"I don't want to get this far and not at least try," said the
37-year-old, who was eyeing her 73rd WTA title -- and her first since
the birth of her daughter, Olympia, in September 2017.
Beaten by Simona Halep in the Wimbledon final in July, Williams was
playing just her 24th match of a year already disrupted by nagging knee
trouble.
Williams hasn't won a title since the 2017 Australian Open.
Since returning to competition after Olympia's birth, she has reached
three Grand Slam finals -- and she remained optimistic that she would be
ready to try to match Australian Margaret Court's record of 24 Grand
Slams when the US Open starts on August 26.
"Well, that's the most frustrating part is that I've had this before and
it's, like, 24, 36 hours where I'm just in crazy spasm and then it's,
like, gone," said Williams, who wasn't immediately sure whether she'd
play next week in Cincinnati.
"So that's a little bit frustrating for me because I know that I could play. I just can't play today.
"If it's what typically happens, I will be fine, but I have to wait and see."
- 'Never give up' -
For Andreescu, Sunday's events were a bittersweet achievement as she
became the first Canadian to win the title since Faye Urban in 1969.
"I know how it is to pull out of tournaments and be injured -- it's not
easy," Andreescu said, addressing Williams directly during the trophy
presentation.
"This wasn't the way I expected to win and for you to go off the court.
I've watched you play so many times. You are truly a champion on and off
the court."
Andreescu claimed her second WTA Premier level title of the year, having
rocketed to prominence in March when she became the first wild card to
win at Indian Wells.
"This week has not been easy. I've had many, many tough matches," said
Andreescu, who opened the week with an emotional three-set win over
compatriot Eugenie Bouchard and played three more three-setters.
She's projected to break into the top 15 in the world rankings on Monday
after winning her first tournament since a right shoulder injury
sidelined her at the French Open.
And while Williams was keeping her Cincinnati options open, Andreescu
was taking no chances, announcing later Sunday that she would skip the
Ohio event.
"I really have to listen to my body right now, this last week has not been easy on it," Andreescu said.
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