The 2019 BNP Paribas Open will go down as one of the most memorable in years because of the uniqueness of its winners.
On the women's side, 18-year-old (and unseeded) Canadian Bianca Andreescu won her first title, like ever, against 3-time Grand Slam champion Angelique Kerber. On the men's side, Dominic Thiem battled and won against Roger Federer, denying him a 101st title and record sixth at Indian Wells.
So...who picked Andreescu and Thiem as your 2019 winners pre-tournament? Neither did I.
It was a day full of drama at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, as Andreescu, despite cramping and fatigue, managed to grind out a win over eighth-seeded Angelique Kerber 6-4, 3-6, 6-4. After a crucial meeting with her coach after falling behind 3-2 in the final set turned the match.
"Yeah, in that moment, after I spoke to my coach, I just let it all out there. At that point, I was really tired, so I went for my shots more, and that obviously worked. The next couple games I did the same thing. And I just fought till the end, because physically I wasn't feeling too well. Yeah, I fought till the end. I managed to pull through." - Bianca Andreescu
Dominic Thiem looked like he was going to be just another of Roger Federer's victims as he dropped the first set, but the seventh-seeded Austrian rallied hard to come back for a 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 victory.
Thiem, 25, was honored to be on the same stage with Federer after winning his first Masters 1000 title and his 12th overall championship. He was gracious during his acceptance speech, even drawing some laughs from both the crowd and Federer.
"Roger, it's such a pleasure to compete with you and learn so much from you. I shouldn't be congratulating you because you have 88 more titles than me." - Dominic Thiem
Both champions take home a $1,354,010 paycheck for their efforts. Not bad for playing a sport you love :)
And it wasn't just Andreescu and Thiem breaking new ground...the fans did as well. The tournament set an attendance record this year, thanks to fantastic matches and fan-friendly weather. The total attendance for the two-week tournament was 475,372 breaking the previous record set in 2015 of 456,672.
