TORONTO -- Tennis star Bianca Andreescu has won the 2019 Lou Marsh Trophy as Canada's athlete of the year.

She is the first tennis player to win the award.

The winner of the Toronto Star award is selected annually by a panel of sports journalists from across the country.

Andreescu, from Mississauga, Ont., became the first Canadian to win a Grand Slam singles title when she defeated American star Serena Williams in the final of the U.S. Open.

That star-making performance capped a stellar year for the 19-year-old, who also won the Rogers Cup in Toronto and the prestigious BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, Calif.

She earned over US$6.5 million on the season and is ranked fifth in the world after starting the year ranked No. 152.

Other finalists included golfer Brooke Henderson, sprinter Andre De Grasse, Atlanta Braves pitcher Mike Soroka and St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington.

The Lou Marsh Trophy has been awarded annually since 1936 with a three-year hiatus during the Second World War.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 9, 2019.