Britain’s Emma Raducanu wins US Open women’s final

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Emma Raducanu won the women’s US Open title on Saturday, stunning the tennis world by becoming the first player to win a Grand Slam title after entering the tournament through qualifying rounds.

The 18-year-old from Kent is the first British woman to win a major tournament since Virginia Wade’s victory at Wimbledon in 1977. Raducanu maintains the ruthless effectiveness she displayed during her two weeks in New York. , beat Canada’s Leylah Fernandez 6. -4, 6-3.

The historic victory would cement Raducanu as a household name in the UK, if not worldwide. From qualifying to Saturday’s final, she hasn’t beaten 10 opponents in two and a half weeks.

Saturday’s most unlikely final between two underrated teenagers – the first such final in Grand Slam history – presented Raducanu’s own challenge, meeting a fellow Fernandez co-worker. known for his composure against former champions.

“I knew I was going to have to dig deep,” Raducanu said of winning the break point in the decisive second set. Being cheered on by Wade and British tennis legend Tim Henman at Queens, “it gave me confidence that I could really do it.”

Congratulations for Raducanu immediately began pouring in on social media, including from the Queen. In a signed post on her official Instagram, she wrote Raducanu’s win “is a remarkable achievement at such a young age”.

Sports Marketing Specialist guess Raducanu could become the new face of British tennis, with sponsorship concerns possibly extending beyond her slim portfolio of current backers, Wilson and Nike.

Born in Toronto to a Chinese mother and Romanian father, she moved with her family to England at the age of two and is the product of a talent development plan by the Lawn Tennis Association. Before this weekend, Raducanu said her biggest achievement in tennis was the $25,000 prize at the 2019 tournament in Pune, India.

Her performance in Queens was just Raducanu’s second appearance in a major tournament, following her breakout performance at Wimbledon in July. There, she became the youngest British woman to advance to the round of 16, before being forced to retire due to acute shortness of breath.

Since then, Raducanu has built winning momentum through a series of tournaments in North America this summer, building confidence by progressing to quarterfinals and finals on a tour of the United States and within range from San Francisco to Chicago.

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“I think I’m building game by game,” Raducanu said after Thursday’s semi-final win.

Saturday’s championship, which took place on a gloriously clear afternoon in front of packed stadium crowds, was a thrilling introduction to the next generation of women’s tennis. Fernandez, who turned 19 on Monday, had an impressive streak to advance to the final, defeating defending champion Naomi Osaka and former world number one Angelique Kerber.

She held back tears after the defeat, telling the crowd she hoped to return next year and paying her respects to the 20th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks. “I hope I can be as strong and resilient as New York was twenty years ago. years,” said Fernandez.

The two women have known each other since their young playing days, but have faced each other only once before on the court, when Raducanu beat Fernandez in consecutive sets in the first round of 2018 Wimbledon Juniors.

Raducanu says she hopes their championship meeting on Saturday will be the first in a long-running competition.

“I think it’s a sign that the future and the depth of women’s tennis right now is really great,” she said. Regarding Fernandez, she added: “I hope we play together in many more tournaments and hopefully in the final.”