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The next generation of tennis stars have arrived, and two will be on full display at the Women’s US Open final.
Teenage girls Leylah Fernandez and Emma Raducanu stunned the tennis world Thursday night at Arthur Ashe Stadium, each improbably qualifying for their first Grand Slam final appearance. The 19-year-old Canadian and the 18-year-old Briton face each other on Saturday in a showdown between two of the sport’s emerging talents.
This will be the eighth Grand Slam Final of the Teen Open Age and the first since 1999.
Following her 7-6 (3), 4-6, 6-4 triumph over second seed Aryna Sabalenka, Fernandez became the youngest woman to reach a Grand Slam final since Maria Sharapova beat Serena Williams to win Wimbledon in 2004. was until Raducanu – who is now the first qualifier to reach a Grand Slam women’s singles final in the open era – took a 6-1, 6-4 victory over the Greek power. Maria Sakkari.
“Honestly, being young there is an element of you playing completely for free,” Raducanu said after his game. “I’m sure when I get older or have more experience, the same will happen to me. I think the roles will turn, some younger players will pass. But honestly right now I’m just thinking about the game plan, how to execute it and that’s what got me into this situation.
The two teens topped the headlines at the US Open, highlighted by Raducanu not conceding a single set as a qualifier and Fernandez upsetting three top 10 seeds, including the defending USA champion. US Open Naomi Osaka. Their two magical runs to the final were undeniably captivating in a tournament that was starless at the start.
“I think maybe it was the Orange Bowl, the U12s or something, it was definitely the U12s,” Raducanu said when she faced Fernandez for the first time. “We first met because I was born in Toronto and she was Canadian, so we kind of had a little relationship back then. Then I played it at Junior Wimbledon.
“Obviously since then we’ve both come a long way in our games and as people. I’m sure it will be hugely different from the last time we met, but we both play good tennis so it will be a good game.
Fernandez may have won her very first WTA Tour singles title just a few months ago, but she’s playing in front of the crowd like a seasoned veteran. This was the case on Thursday night with his victory, which pitted Fernadez’s style against Sabalenka’s power.
“I would say it’s thanks to the New York crowd,” Fernandez said with a smile during his on-field interview. “They helped me today, they encouraged me. They never gave up on me, they fought for me. Thanks to you, I was able to win, so thank you New York.
Fernandez and Sabalenka went blow for blow in the first six games of the third set, except for the fifth, when Sabalenka held Fernandez in love. Fernandez then showed the enormous variety she has in her shots and stole a game sixth by 10 points to take the 4-2 advantage.
It was then that Sabalenka channeled his frustrations on the pitch, which allowed him to shoot even in the last set. But Fernandez captured eight of the next nine points to put the game aside before collapsing onto the pitch in disbelief.
“I couldn’t believe what was going on,” Fernandez said in his post-match press conference. “A swarm of emotions just arrived. I was happy that I fought so hard for over two hours and all the hard work paid off and I was in the final.”
Raducanu became the first qualifier to reach the final of a major tournament, which is only the second of her career. His straight-set victory over 17th seed Sakkari took less than 90 minutes.
After easily taking a 5-0 lead in the first set, Raducanu continued to be strong in the forehand and calculated in his shots. Sakkari only entered the table in the sixth game and was unable to put pressure on Raducanu throughout the game.
Raducanu finished with 16 winners and only 17 unforced errors compared to Sakkari’s 17 winners and 33 unforced errors.
“They are both young, they play without fear,” Sakkari said of the teenagers. “They have nothing to lose by playing against us.”
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