Here we go! Emma Raducanu, 18, begins US Open final in front of 24,000 fans

471

View
comments

Emma Raducanu has won a thrilling first set against Leyla Fernandez in the US Open final as she hopes to make history as the first British woman to win a major in 44 years.

The 18-year-old from Kent took the opening set 6-4 after a hard fought battle with the 19-year-old Canadian in front of a tense crowd of 24,000 at the Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York.

Raducanu is now just one set away from becoming the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam and the first British winner since Virginia Wade at Wimbledon in 1977. 

On the line is a prize cheque for £1.8million – more than eight times Raducanu’s current career earnings – as well as 2,000 ranking points, which would move the teenager up from her current standing of 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, the first qualifier to ever reach a Grand Slam final, 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. 

Bookmakers had Raducanu chalked up as the favourite at 4/7 – meaning a £10 bet would return just £15.70.

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.’

Not since Virginia 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.’