Emma Raducanu WINS her first set

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Emma Raducanu has won the US Open final in a nail-biting clash against Leyla Fernandez to become the first British woman to win a major title in 44 years.

The 18-year-old from Kent fell to the ground and put her hands over her face after beating the Canadian 6-4, 6-3, in front of 24,000 at the Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York.

Raducanu is a double history maker as the first Brit to win a Grand Slam since Virginia Wade at Wimbledon in 1977 and is the first qualifier – in either the men’s or women’s game – to win a major.

The first set was a thriller, with the games toing and froing from deuce to advantage and back to deuce again as the teenagers played fearless high-speed rallies from the baseline.

But in the second set, Fernandez’s wayward serving ultimately let her down and Raducanu was able to heap on more pressure.   

She won the tournament without conceding a set and with it she has claimed a £1.8 million cheque, as well as moving up in the rankings from 150 to 23.  

The match was preceded by a poignant ceremony to mark the 20th anniversary of 9/11, with a massive Stars and Stripes flag unfurled by female cadets, while a ‘9-11-01’ stencil has been painted onto the court. 

Speaking just before walking on court, Raducanu said: ‘The time has flown here in New York. I’ve just been taking it one match at a time and it has got me to the final.

‘I’m going to go out there and enjoy it today. It’s so exciting in my second grand slam to be in the final. I can’t really believe it but I can’t wait to get stuck in. I’m sure the crowd will be great so it will be a really positive experience.’

Canadian Fernandez, 19, is also an unexpected finalist and her giant-killing run has included victories over former champions Naomi Osaka and Angelique Kerber and top-five seeds Aryna Sabalenka and Elina Svitolina.

She said: ‘It’s been incredible. I’ve been having a lot of fun on court, I’ve been playing well and I can’t wait for the finals today. I think we’re just going to go out there and have fun. We’ve both been playing incredibly well.’  

Raducanu is being backed by millions back in the UK after she won widespread praise for her semi-final performance, including from the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prime Minister Boris Johnson and footballer Marcus Rashford.   

The match is being shown live on Channel 4 after a last-minute deal said to be worth £30 million was struck with Amazon amid feverish anticipation among the tennis-loving British public. 

The atmosphere was electric at Raducanu’s home tennis club in Beckenham, southeast London, where a viewing party was hosted – as they had done for her run at Wimbledon earlier this summer. 

Cheers and applause erupted as Raducanu spoke to the media before walking out onto the court, with several teenage fans saying they were sure she was going to win. 

Suzanne Williams, her former strength and conditioning coach, said: ‘It’s absolutely incredible just to see her develop and become this player when I knew her when she was so young, from 8-12 years old.

‘Of course you could see there was some incredible potential there but to see her on the screen in this environment is incredible.’

She added: ‘For girls to know that it’s in their reach, because they’re at the same place she was, it doesn’t feel too far removed from them, it’s just incredible for them to get this role model.’ 

Harry Bushnell, who coached her from the age of six to ten, said: ‘As a coach, you want to coach someone that goes all the way so it’s my first time of being involved in anybody that’s gotten this far and it’s an amazing feeling.’

Speaking about the media pressure that Raducanu has been under since her performance at Wimbledon, he said: ‘I just am obviously very protective of her, but I know she views pressure as a privilege.

‘I think she conducts herself really well I know that she got a bit of stick at Wimbledon with the way that ended but I was always confident that she would go away from that, dust herself off and come back stronger.’

TV presenter Gary Lineker begged Emma Radacanu to win the second set of the US Open final quickly so that people would be able to watch Match Of The Day.

He tweeted: ‘Come on @EmmaRaducanu. Fantastic first set. Please try and win the 2nd set so we can all concentrate on @BBCMOTD.’

Earlier, Manchester United star Marcus Rashford asked for the programme to be moved back to allow people to finish watching the tennis.

‘Do us a favour @GaryLineker push it back the tennis is on…’ he wrote.

Not since Ms Wade lifted her most famous title at Wimbledon in 1977 has a British woman even reached a grand slam singles final until now.  

That the player to achieve the feat is an 18-year-old taking her first real steps in the professional game makes this one of the most extraordinary stories in all sport. 

Ms Wade called Raducanu the ‘real thing’. She told ITV this week: ‘I can’t tell you how exciting it is. 

‘We’ve been waiting such a long time for a British player on the women’s side to really come through. Every time you watch her you think she’s going to win every point out there. You don’t even get that nervous. It was remarkable.

‘I’m sure she is the real thing, you don’t get someone head and shoulders above that often and I think she’s one of those.

‘She’s stopping all her opponents in their tracks and she’s got an incredible future ahead of her. If it doesn’t happen on Saturday (win a grand slam) it’s going to happen sooner or later because she is really good.’

Even defeat would see Raducanu climb to 32nd in the rankings, putting her in contention to be seeded for her debut at the Australian Open in January.

She has already earned a minimum £900,000 from the nine matches she has won in New York.

Fernandez is just two months older than Raducanu and the pair have known each other since they competed at under-12 level.

‘We first encountered each other because I was born in Toronto and she was Canadian, so we kind of made a little relationship back then,’ said Raducanu, who won their only previous meeting in the girls’ singles at Wimbledon three years ago.

‘Obviously since then we’ve both come very far in our games and as people. I’m sure it’s going to be extremely different to when we last encountered each other. But we’re both playing good tennis so it will be a good match.’

The pair share an immigrant background. Raducanu, who moved to the UK when she was two, has a Romanian father and Chinese mother while Fernandez has Ecuadorian, Peruvian and Filipino heritage.

The Canadian is coached by her father Jorge, who believes the final is a significant moment for the women’s game.

The former footballer said: ‘I see they’re both bringing a type of game that is not common right now on the circuit.

‘I see that they bring a flair that is very unique for them. I’m glad that they’re touching the Asian community. I think that’s a huge opportunity in the women’s game.

‘I think it’s just positive for the game. Obviously I want Leylah to win. That goes without saying. But I just think that the match-up and what we’re seeing, those two ladies are touching a lot of young girls.

‘I’m getting messages about, ‘Please pass this to Leylah’, little girls saying, ‘You’re making us believe’. This can only be good for the tennis game and the WTA altogether.’ 

£100MILLION girl Emma: Historic place in US Open final set to make 18-year-old one of world’s richest sporting stars  

By Scarlet Howes and Abul Taher for The Mail on Sunday 

Barely out of school, Emma Raducanu is tipped to earn £100 million, win Sports Personality of the Year – and maybe even get an honour from the Queen.

Even before she stepped foot on court last night in the US Open final, the 18-year-old had made modern sporting history, becoming the first British woman to reach a grand slam single finals in 44 years.

Her fairy tale in New York has buoyed a pandemic-weary nation and is the icing on the cake for the prodigious Kent teenager, still celebrating her recent A* in maths and A in economics for her A-levels.

Last night, bookmakers William Hill said Emma was 10-11 favourite to become the BBC Sports Personality of the Year, which will be announced in December.

It would be a remarkable feat in an Olympic year to beat gold medallists such as Tom Daley and Adam Peaty, but the possibility reflects her stratospheric rise since entering this summer’s Wimbledon as a virtual unknown.

If she wins, Emma would become the second youngest person to lift the BBC trophy, after Scottish swimmer Ian Black who won the prize in 1958 at the age of 17. Betfred put her at 4-6 odds-on favourite to win the gong, ahead of Daley at 9-4 and Peaty at 8-1.

William Hill have also given her 10-1 odds to get an honour from the Queen – and she certainly has royal support, with Prince William and Kate cheering her on at home. Rupert Adams, a spokesman for the bookmakers, said: ‘I think the BBC Sports Personality of the Year is possible because it celebrates outstanding achievement in sport, which is what she has done already. The fact she is a woman helps, as she will get a lot of female votes as well.

‘In terms of the Queen’s honours, it may be a bit early in her career, but it is possible, if the stars align. You never know, the Government may fancy a really good feel-good story. But it may be like an OBE and not a damehood.’

Until this summer, Emma was ranked outside the top 300 players and had earned just £30,000 in winnings before gaining her wildcard entry at Wimbledon – where she got to the final 16.

Now in demand, she has been interviewed in Vogue magazine and says she has overcome her initial shyness to find her confidence.

Ahead of last night, when the nation came to a halt to watch her take on Leylah Fernandez at Flushing Meadows, she was already guaranteed £900,000 even if she lost – but experts say that is likely to be just the tip of the iceberg. 

Brand expert Jonathan Shalit, chairman of the InterTalent Group, said a huge range of companies will now want to sign her up to advertise their brands, adding: ‘I would say that she has the potential to earn £100 million over the next five years if she keeps winning.

‘She is completely fresh and new, she is gorgeous and always happy, which is what we are all looking for as we come out of the pandemic.’

Born in Toronto to a Chinese mother and Romanian father, Emma Raducanu – or Radders to her friends – has a broad appeal according to experts and could easily eclipse Naomi Osaka, currently the world’s highest-earning female athlete, who has pocketed £43 million on and off the court.

Simon Chadwick, an expert in sport business strategy and marketing, who is global professor of sport at Emlyon Business School in Lyon, France, said: ‘Raducanu is a classic Gen Z teenager – mixed heritage, social media savvy, aspirational, which she combines with what seems like a positive predisposition towards life. 

Hence, one can imagine that some of the deals she already has, with the likes of Nike, could become more lucrative for her.

‘At the same time, some of the big mobile brands as well as digital platforms will probably be interested.’ Emma is already managed by Max Eisenbud, of the IMG agency, who secured £20 million in sponsorship for tennis star Maria Sharapova.