Of course, Andreescu also has another secret weapon in her arsenal: Coco, a 7-pound poodle. “I grew up with her since I was 6. She was like my sister because I was an only child. Sometimes when I look at my box and see Coco, I relax completely. I think it really helps me.”

Andreescu made a strong run at her next tournament, the Miami Open, where for the second match in a row she trounced Angelique Kerber, whose unsportsmanlike comments at the net, calling Andreescu “a drama queen,” did not win her many new fans. The “drama” was Andreescu’s complaint about a sore shoulder, which proved serious enough that she had to withdraw in the fourth round. She tried to come back for the French Open, but it was too early. It’s about the time the first Tracy Austin warnings were whispered.

Andreescu put doubts to rest when at the Canadian Open, where she took down Kiki Bertens and Karolina Plísková en route to meeting up with Serena Williams in the final. Andreescu admits to excruciating pressure. “I’ve never been so nervous in my life,” she said. “I was so nervous before the match that I wanted to cry.” Not only was she in a position to be the first Canadian woman to win the title since 1969, but she’d have to do it against one of the greatest players in the history of the sport. Still, she blocked it out as soon as she stepped on the court, and when play began, she quickly picked up a game on her opponent. And then the shocker: Trailing 3–1, Williams retired because of back spasms. Andreescu recalled she was “100 percent disappointed” in winning the title in that fashion. “All I can say about that is what she did wasn’t easy, and I wanted to comfort her as much as I could because I’ve been through a lot of injuries in my short career. What she’s doing right now is so incredible. She’s 38 and still playing on the tour, so a pat on the back for her.”

Andreescu’s embrace of Williams and concern for her pain brought every Canadian in the stadium to their feet.

Tennis fans (and Andreescu) were deflated because they would not witness an epic match between a rising star and one whose brightest days might be behind her. But the disappointment was short lived. A rested and prepared Andreescu showed up in Flushing Meadows ready to take on all comers. She beat Wozniacki again in straights (which makes you wonder if part of the reason the Dane hung up her racquet was that she thought to herself, “If I can’t beat this teenager in three tries, maybe it’s time to retire.”)

Andreescu had a much tougher semifinal match against the underrated Bencic, but won 7-6, 7-5, prompting ESPN’s Pam Shriver to joke to the Canadian during the postgame interview, “I don’t think I’ve heard of you.”

And like it had been scripted for television, the final pitted Andreescu against a recovered Serena Williams, whose steely, pre-game glare said “Nothing is stopping me from my 24th Slam title.”

Andreescu says it didn’t get to her. “Every time she steps on the court, she’s already won a match because her opponents feel intimidated. I made sure that when I stepped on the court, I would be the one [who] was intimidating her. I did that by getting to every ball and making her work for every point because she likes short points. I like to make my opponents work for every point and I’m really glad my plan actually worked out really well that day.”

Yes, it did, to the tune of a 6–3, 7–5 win for her first Grand Slam title.

And, in one of those “It can only happen at Arthur Ashe Stadium” moments, the raucous New York crowd, totally partisan for Williams from the first point to the last, thoroughly embraced the new star.

The remainder of the year was a bit rocky. Well, let’s face it: Bianca Andreescu crashed against the rocks.

And so the question as this magazine goes to press is whether the young Canadian champion will be in Indian Wells. Will an appearance mean that her body has healed enough, not only to defend her title here, but also to carry her through the season and reveal her potential to be a multi-Grand Slam champion? Or, if she doesn’t play the BNP Paribas Open this month, will there be cause to wonder if the light that burns twice as bright will burn half as long?

Even if her body does not heal, her heart is clearly willing.