US Open: Emma Raducanu beats Leylah Fernandez in women’s final

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With his straight set victory, Raducanu has not lost a set throughout the tournament.

The fact that she made it to the final in the first place is amazing. The fact that she won it – historic.

Raducanu, born to a Chinese mother and Romanian father, had to go through three qualifying rounds to even make the main draw in what is only her second Grand Slam appearance.

The 18-year-old had become the first male or female tennis qualifier to reach a Grand Slam final – and now she has become the first qualifier to win one.

Even Raducanu expressed surprise at her dream run during the tournament, joking after her quarter-final victory over Olympic champion Belinda Bencic that she had booked a return flight “at the end of qualifying”.

How an education has built a “mental strength”

Incredibly, Raducanu didn’t lose a single set in the tournament – and wowed much more experienced opponents as he progressed.

When asked how she maintains such calm in times of high pressure, Raducanu credited the lessons she received from her parents growing up.

“I think the calm and mental toughness definitely comes from my upbringing,” she said ahead of the final.

“I think my parents both instilled in me from a young age to definitely have a positive attitude on the court because, yeah, when I was younger it was definitely an absolute denial if I was had a bad attitude. ”

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Raducanu, ranked 150th in the world heading into the US Open, showed her potential at Wimbledon this year, capturing the heart of the UK as she reached the fourth round before retiring with “breathing difficulties” .

But few could have imagined this dream race in New York.

Raducanu is now the youngest Grand Slam winner since Maria Sharapova won Wimbledon in 2004, and she also became the first British woman to win a major tournament since Virginia Wade won Wimbledon in 1977.

A global British star is born

Her newfound success saw her popularity skyrocket, especially in the UK where she became a household name this summer.

Reaching the final, the teenager was inundated with online messages congratulating the emerging superstar and wishing him good luck.

“Congratulations @EmmaRaducanu, what an achievement already !! Good luck this weekend, we encourage you all at home,” said Marcus Rashford, England and Manchester United player. tweeted.

Her accomplishments over the past fortnight have also received royal approval, with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge sending their best wishes.

“What an incredible achievement at this year’s # USOpen @EmmaRaducanu! We will be supporting you all tomorrow. I wish you the best of luck!” read a message on their official Twitter account.

After her semi-final victory, Raducanu said having a Chinese mother “definitely instilled hard work, discipline from a young age” and that she admired Chinese tennis star Li Na.

“When I was younger I took a lot of inspiration from Li Na, even now, just from the way she was such a fierce competitor,” Raducanu said of the two-time Grand Slam winner.

With her first Grand Slam title under her belt, fans around the world will be eagerly watching what this teenage sensation can accomplish in the years to come.



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