EDMONTON—To many tennis fans around the world, it may have been surprising to see how boldly a young rising talent like Bianca Andreescu went toe-to-toe in the U.S. Open final on Saturday afternoon with Serena Williams, one of the all-time greats.

But to a former coach of Andreescu, who won that match to take the U.S. Open title, the teen’s desire for major competition and high pressure has been evident for years.

Lan Yao-Gallop is a tennis coach at the University of Alberta’s Saville Community Sports Centre developing junior players. She’s been coaching tennis for 15 years, mostly in Edmonton, but between 2012 and 2014 she worked with Tennis Canada’s junior national program in Toronto. In that period, she worked with Andreescu as a youth tennis player.

Now, Andreescu is asserting herself at tennis’ top tier. By winning the U.S. Open, the Mississauga-born player took home her first Grand Slam championship, also becoming the first Canadian champion in the tournament’s history. This came in only the fourth Grand Slam tournament Andreescu had ever qualified for, and against a legend in the sport.

Andreescu’s relentless style of play was reflected in her development, according to Lan, who worked with the young star from the ages of 12 to 14. She said that Andreescu always took new challenges head-on, thriving under pressure while playing the style and pace of game she wanted.

“She just wanted to hit the ball the way she wanted, not just pushing it and hoping the (opponent) is missing. She always wanted to earn the win. Today and the whole season, this year, was really showing that,” Lan said on Saturday.

Because of this style, at that young age Andreescu wasn’t as successful as some of her competition. She made mistakes more often than more consistent opponents at the top levels of Canadian youth tennis. But Lan noticed that Andreescu was never afraid to make big plays and face tough competition head-on.

“She was always a brave player since she was young. She didn’t have a lot of success when she was 12, because the other kids were (more) consistent,” Lan said.

“Over the years, she’s more experienced and so she controls her power well in the big moments. She could be quite rattled when she was younger, and now I think she’s much more focused. Just overall, the desire of winning and the passion for the sport has really made her look different.”

Now, the tennis world is taking notice of Andreescu for the attributes coaches like Lan saw in her from a young age, like her confidence, her aggressive play and her ability to notch winning shots instead of waiting for her opponents to make mistakes.

It’s not just longtime tennis followers who are noticing Andreescu’s skill, but youth players too. In her role at the Saville Centre in Edmonton, Lan said she hears how young players are always talking about Canadian stars of the sport, like Andreescu, Denis Shapovalov and Milos Raonic.

Watching players develop just like how Lan’s seen Andreescu grow is exactly what the coach loves about working in youth sports. She loves seeing young tennis players become more confident and improve their skills over time, just like how Andreescu has grown from her time in the youth national program in Toronto to becoming a U.S. Open champion.

“The way they talk, the confidence when they walk on the court, it’s great to see and that doesn’t come easy,” Lan said.

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