Canadians embrace #SheTheNorth after Andreescu's win

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Canadians took to social media on Saturday to hail their first tennis Grand Slam champion Bianca Andreescu after the 19-year-old’s U.S. Open win over Serena Williams.

The hashtag #SheTheNorth shot to the top of Canada’s trending topics on Twitter, as social media users reimagined the “We the North” slogan used by the Toronto Raptors during their NBA championship-winning run.

“Congratulations !” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted at the champion. “You’ve made history and made a whole country very proud. #SheTheNorth.”

Toronto Mayor John Tory got the party started early as well, announcing on Twitter that the Toronto sign would be lit in gold to celebrate the win.

“Toronto is celebrating this victory and looking forward to a career filled with many more. #SheTheNorth,” he wrote.

The 19-year-old also caught the eye of her home country’s high-profile athletes with fellow tennis player Genie Bouchard calling the victory “Canadian history”.

The National Hockey League’s Vancouver Canucks, Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs, along with Major League Baseball’s Blue Jays and NBA champion Raptors all tweeted their congratulations.

“SHE THE CHAMP! Congrats, ,” tweeted the basketball team. “#WeTheNorth x #SheTheNorth.”

At a media conference after her match, Andreescu made clear that the warm feelings were mutual.

“I’ve said this many, many times before. I’m going to say it again: It’s been a goal of mine to inspire many people, especially Canadian athletes,” said Andreescu.

“I think that this win will hopefully do that, not only this win but just what I’ve accomplished this past year because so many Canadian athletes have paved the way for me when I was young.”

Source: Reuters

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