Tennis: U.S. Open victory yet to sink in, says Raducanu

U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu said on Wednesday that her sensational win at Flushing Meadows had yet to sink in and that the 18 months she took off from the sport provided her with the "hunger" to prevail in New York.

The 18-year-old Briton stunned the tennis world by defeating Canada's Leylah Fernandez in straight sets on Saturday to become the first qualifier to capture a Grand Slam title.

"I feel great. Everything that's happened in the last 72 hours has been so much fun... it still hasn't really sunk in, but occasionally I'll remember that I won the U.S. Open. So yeah, a really funny feeling," she told the WTA website.

Raducanu took a break from tennis last year due to the pandemic and also because her parents insisted that she should complete her high school exams.

"Having 18 months away... coming out you play every match like you don't know when your last match will be. That was how I was approaching the whole summer... But the biggest thing is that I never once got ahead of myself," she said.

"For three weeks I just played the opponent in front of me, I took care of what I wanted to try and achieve on that day against that opponent, and just repeated it for three weeks."

Raducanu has made a string of public appearances since her win last weekend, the most high-profile being at the Met Gala in New York on Monday.

The teenager called her red-carpet experience "eye-opening", adding: "At the Met Gala everyone is so experienced and so accomplished in their own way and it was really cool to hear how they are and their perspective on things."

For now, Raducanu said that she planned to switch off from tennis following an intense few weeks and was not entirely sure when her next tournament would be.

"I think for me, still, I cherish the most the moments with the team after the win... that was probably the most special night ever, when we were reflecting... I know I'll get back to work probably Monday or early next week... schedule-wise, I'm not sure," she added. 

(Reporting by Dhruv Munjal in Bengaluru, editing by Pritha Sarkar)

-reuters

Tennis: Fearless teenagers Fernandez, Raducanu a win away from glory

NEW YORK - Leylah Fernandez and Emma Raducanu will clash in one of the most improbable U.S. Open finals on Saturday, the teenagers' fearless tennis bringing them to the cusp of becoming the sport's newest major champion.

Their title clash under the lights at the Arthur Ashe Stadium will be the first major final in the Open Era in either the men's and women's game to feature two unseeded players.

Canadian Fernandez, who turned 19 this week, was ranked 73rd coming into the hardcourt Grand Slam while 18-year-old Briton Raducanu was 150th in the women's rankings.

But with no burden of expectation on their shoulders, the duo have showcased a brand of fearless tennis at Flushing Meadows that has endeared them to the fans and helped them chart a path to the showpiece match.

"They are both young. They play fearless. They have nothing to lose playing against us," said Greek Maria Sakkari, who bowed out in the semi-finals with a straight-sets loss to qualifier Raducanu.

"I have to give credit to both of them, both of the young girls, that they take their chances. They're out there fighting for that title. Very well done to both for getting here."

Saturday's final will be the first tour-level meeting between them but the pair previously clashed in the second round of the 2018 Wimbledon juniors when Raducanu won 6-2 6-4.

It will also mark the first Grand Slam final to be contested by two teenagers since Serena Williams and Martina Hingis met in the 1999 U.S. Open title clash.

NATURAL GIFT

"With Raducanu and with Leylah Fernandez, they know how to win. They know how to stay calm in the most important moments," said Eurosport tennis expert and seven-time Grand Slam champion Mats Wilander.

"They have a natural gift of not panicking, and that's amazing. I can't even explain it."

The first British woman to reach a major final since Virginia Wade won Wimbledon in 1977, Raducanu can jump to 24th in the rankings with her first title while the left-handed Fernandez can make her top 20 debut by winning the U.S. Open.

The Briton has, however, had a less arduous path to the final. She has not dropped a set in her nine matches at Flushing Meadows to become the first qualifier - in men's and women's tennis - to reach a major final.

In contrast, Fernandez has had to conjure every ounce of her fighting spirit to move past the heavyweights of women's tennis and be in a position to give Canada its second U.S. Open women's title in three years after Bianca Andreescu's 2019 triumph.

The Canadian had to defeat three top-five players and a multiple major winner in her last four matches - all in three sets - to book her spot in the final.

"Raducanu and Fernandez play very similar in a way. If Fernandez was right-handed you wouldn't see much difference in their styles. They are pretty close in how they play," added Wilander. (Reporting by Sudipto Ganguly in Mumbai; Editing by Ken Ferris)

-reuters

US Open: British qualifier Emma Raducanu makes history by reaching semis

NEW YORK—British teenager Emma Raducanu produced yet another exquisite performance to become the first qualifier to reach the U.S. Open semifinals on Wednesday, defeating Olympic champion Belinda Bencic 6-3 6-4 on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Down an early break, the Briton recovered swiftly to win four straight games to close out the first set in which she had seven forehand winners and three aces.

Like Raducanu, Bencic had reached the last eight without dropping a set in Flushing Meadows but on Wednesday she struggled with her first serve and misfired a pair of costly double faults in the opening set.

Raducanu maintained her momentum in the second set, fending off three break points in the second game. 

A frustrated Bencic handed Raducanu a break with a double fault in the fifth game and her frustration boiled over as the match progressed, with the Swiss smacking her racket to the ground. 

Down 0-30 in her final two service games, Raducanu kept her nerve on both occasions and soaked up the cheers of the New York crowd after triumphing in a nine-shot rally on the final point.

"Playing Belinda – she’s such a great opponent," Raducanu said. "Her ball speed definitely caught me off guard because she hits the ball so hard."

The 18-year-old, who reached the Wimbledon fourth round on her Grand Slam debut just two months ago, has so far won all 16 sets she has played from qualifying through to the semi-finals.

She is the second teenager to make an impact in the women's draw this week as 19-year-old Canadian Leylah Fernandez has also reached the last four.

"To have so many young players here doing so well just shows how strong the next generation is," added Raducanu, who delighted a number of young fans by taking selfies with them before she walked off court.

"Everyone is on their trajectory. I'm just here taking care of what I can control, and it's my own journey at the end of the day." (Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York, additional reporting by Steve Keating, editing by Pritha Sarkar)

-reuters