Editor’s note: This story has been corrected to reflect that Bianca Andreescu won the Rogers Cup in Toronto, not Montreal, as a previous version stated.
Bianca Andreescu has made history.
The 19-year-old from Mississauga, Ont., defeated tennis legend Serena Williams 6-3, 7-5 to win the U.S. Open in New York on Saturday.
She is the first Canadian to make it to a final at the U.S. Open, and the only one to win a Grand Slam singles title.
“It’s so hard to explain in words but I’m just beyond grateful and truly blessed,” she said when asked what the moment meant to her.
“This year has been a dream come true and now being able to play on this stage against Serena, a true legend of this sport, is amazing.”
Andreescu has taken the tennis world by storm this year.
WATCH: Canada’s Bianca Andreescu makes history as she captures Grand Slam title
She won the Rogers Cup in Toronto on Aug. 11 after Williams retired due to injury.
On Thursday, Andreescu defeated Belinda Bencic of Switzerland — a match that attracted as many as 1.5 million viewers on TSN.
Williams, 37, was hoping to clinch her 24th Grand Slam singles title to tie a record held by Margaret Court.
Andreescu is 34-4 this season and prior to Saturday’s match was ranked 15th in the world.
Her rapid rise has far from gone unnoticed. Canadians — including high-profile athletes, celebrities and politicians — have rallied around Andreescu using the Toronto Raptors-inspired hashtag #shethenorth.
WATCH: Bianca Andreescu says hard work helped get her to U.S. Open finals
Congratulations poured in across Twitter after her historic victory, including from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer.
“You’ve made history and made a whole country very proud,” Trudeau said.
Her win was also noticed by tennis great Billie Jean King.
“Congratulations to @Bandreescu_ on winning her first major title at the #USOpen. She is Canada’s first Grand Slam singles champion! The Future is Now,” said King said on Twitter.
Toronto Mayor John Tory said the city’s namesake sign will be lit up in gold Saturday night to celebrate. Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie told Andreescu that the key to the city “is yours forever.”
With files from the Canadian Press. This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
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