Bianca Andreescu has opened up on the conversation she had with Serena Williams earlier this month at the Rogers Cup after the pair booked their places in the US Open final.
Andreescu and Williams will meet in Saturday’s women’s singles final following straight-set semi-final wins.
Williams had too much quality for Elina Svitolina while Andreescu needed to battle hard to overcome Belinda Bencic.
On August 11, Williams and Andreescu met in the final of the Rogers Cup but the American lasted just four games before being forced to retire due to back spasms.
As Williams wept at her chair, Andreescu showed maturity beyond her years to console the 23-time Grand Slam champion.
When asked by ESPN to reveal what she told Williams, Andreescu said she gave the 37-year-old a pep talk and was glad it worked.
She said: “It is never easy retiring for an athlete especially in the finals of a tournament.
“So I just went up to her and I told her that she was a beast and she going to bounce back.
“And I mean she did. She’s in the finals. So I’m really looking forward to facing her again.”
Andreescu is bidding to become the first teenage Grand Slam champion since Maria Sharapova at Flushing Meadows in 2006.
The 19-year-old was not even born when Williams won her first US Open title 20 years ago.
She said: “I think it’s just all the hard work I’ve put in through the years.
“If someone told me a year ago I would be in the US Open final this year, I’d tell them they were crazy.
“It’s just surreal. I really don’t know what to say. It’s a dream come true playing against Serena in the final of the US Open. It’s crazy.”
Bencic served for the second set at 5-2 but her game crumbled under the pressure and it cost her dearly as Andreescu won five games in a row.
“Of course, very much disappointed. After every loss, you are. That’s no surprise,” she said.
“But overall really we talk with the team just now what we reach here, semifinal. It’s my best result by far. We should definitely not take this for granted and be grateful for that.
“I think that put me in a more positive mood.”