Raducanu completes New York fairytale by winning US Open

NEW YORK, Sept. 11 (Reuters) – Britain’s Emma Raducanu wrapped up a Grand Slam fairy tale on Saturday by beating Canada’s Leylah Fernandez 6-4 6-3 in teen shock to be crowned US Open champion.

It was a victory that took blood, sweat and in the end a few tears as the 18-year-old became the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam title and the first Briton to hoist a major trophy since Virginia. Wade, who was watching from the court, triumphed at Wimbledon in 1977.

Wade was in New York City to applaud from the courtroom seats as an infatuated Britain gathered around televisions and held their collective breath on Saturday as the teenager played a Hollywood ending to an unlikely storyline.

Raducanu’s victory received the royal seal of approval, with Queen Elizabeth taking to Twitter to congratulate the other members of the royal family.

“It’s an absolute dream,” radiated Raducanu, who will drop from 150th to 23rd place in the world rankings on Monday. “I always dreamed of winning a Grand Slam. You just said these things.

“You say, I want to win a Grand Slam. But to have the conviction that I have made and actually perform, to win a Grand Slam, I can’t believe it.”

The first Grand Slam final – male or female – to be contested by two unranked players was an unfathomable match between qualifier Raducanu and little-known Fernandez, who was 73rd in the standings before the tournament.

An unranked player making a major final would be considered remarkable – two enter the realm of the incredible.

All the more remarkable as Raducanu’s march to the title took 10 games and she did not lose a single set or even play a tie-break, dismissing more experienced opponents with the same ease she hammered. winners.

Fernandez left a graveyard of seeds and champions in his run to the final, his victims including second seed Aryna Sabalenka, quadruple Grand Slam winner and defending champion Naomi Osaka, fifth seed Elina Svitolina and the three-time Grand Slam winner Angelique Kerber.

Despite what the statistics might say, Raducanu insisted winning the US Open was not as easy as it might have seemed.

“I would say that while I didn’t drop a set on paper, I think I faced a lot of adversity in every one of my games,” she said. “I can choose times when I was down.

“Just to get through these are important.

“I think what I did really well this tournament was press in the times when I really needed it.”

FRESH ICE

For the first time in the Flushing Meadows fortnight, the 19-year-old faced a younger opponent, if only a few months. But she had no answers for the frozen Raducanu.

Both players took to a sparkling Arthur Ashe Stadium court with “Can’t believe I’m here” smiles, but quickly got their playing faces on, focusing on the challenge ahead.

The charismatic teens had charmed New York crowds with fearless play and infectious excitement, leaving excited fans with a tough choice on who to support in the final, which was ultimately split as well.

“It was an incredibly difficult game but I thought the level was extremely high,” said Raducanu.

“Leylah is always going to play good tennis and always fight – she’s just the competitor she is … I think staying in the moment, focusing on what I needed to do … really helped in these difficult moments.”

While the score may hint at a one-sided affair, the nearly two-hour competition featured plenty of breathtaking tennis and more than a hint of drama, especially in a second set with which Raducanu threatened to s ‘run away when, at 5-2, she got two match points on Fernandez’s serve.

The Canadian fighter made a comeback to stay alive and when the Briton fell in pursuit of a ball and grazed her knee – letting blood run down her leg – the tide seemed ready to turn.

As the coaches healed the injury, Fernandez, who had just scored a breaking point, watched in frustration, not wanting to lose the building momentum.

In the end, however, nothing was going to stop Raducanu from realizing her destiny, as she returned to finish off her opponent with an ace.

“I have no idea what I’m doing tomorrow,” said Raducanu, who could indulge in a shopping spree in New York after pocketing the purse from a $ 2.5 million winner, nearly 10 times his previous career earnings of $ 303,000. “I’m just trying to embrace the moment, really figure it all out.

“For now, no worries in the world, I just love life.”

Reporting by Steve Keating in New York; Editing by Pritha Sarkar and William Mallard

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.