SHENZHEN, China - World No.4 Bianca Andreescu enjoyed an unexpected reunion with her former coach Lan Yao-Gallop ahead of the 2019 Shiseido WTA Finals Shenzhen. The US Open champion took the time before the tournament to sit down with two young Canadians participating in the Future Stars event in Shenzhen, Annabelle Xu (U16) and Kayla Cross (U14).
What Andreescu did not know is that Xu and Cross are coached by Yao-Gallop, which set up a prime opportunity for a reunion.
"There are two Canadians playing in the Future Stars event and the WTA wanted me to meet with them and surprise them, which I really wanted to do," Andreescu told WTA Insider. "I think it's really fun and very memorable for them.
"But I didn't know that Lan was the coach for them during the tournament and I used to work with Lan. So it was a surprise on top of a surprise. I was genuinely stunned."
"I know that she's still part of Tennis Canada but I think she works in Alberta. I haven't seen her in maybe 4 or 5 years. So having that is pretty incredible. I worked with her for 3 years from age 11 to 14 in Toronto. I traveled with her a lot. She really brought a lot to the table. I learned from her a lot."
See Andreescu's jaw-dropping reaction below: