British teenager Emma Raducanu successfully reached the US Open final. Her graph continued to rise with a splendid straight-set win over Greek 17th seed Maria Sakkari in New York.
The 18-year-old is moving forward with her dream by winning the match by 6-1 6-4, in which her supremacy again almost challenged belief.
She became the first qualifier to reach the Grand Slam final. Also, she will be playing again opposite another teenager Leylah Fernandez on Saturday.
Raducanu is the first British woman in a major single final in 44 years.
With Virginia Wade as an inspiration – the last woman to achieve that feat at Wimbledon in 1977 – Raducanu shaped another bold and callous victory that left the spectators at Arthur Ashe Stadium dumbfounded.
After confidently hitting away a volley on her first match point, Raducanu instantly dropped her racquet and covered her mouth with both hands.
Then her face broke into a beautiful beaming smile.
Quickly she broke out into a beaming smile before lapping up the approval of an enthusiastic crowd on the world’s biggest tennis court.
“The time in New York has gone so quickly, I’ve been taking care of each day and three weeks later I’m in the final. I actually can’t believe it,” Raducanu said.
In order to reach the main draw, she had to go through three qualifying matches. And she has not dropped a set in any of her nine matches at Flushing Meadows.
This is her second time participating in the Grand Slam tournament and the fourth tour-level event of her career.
In addition to this, Raducanu is:
- the youngest British Grand Slam finalist in 62 years, since Christine Truman reached the French Open final aged 18 in 1959
- the first British woman to reach a US Open final in 53 years, after Wade in 1968
- only the fourth British woman to reach a Grand Slam final in the Open era
Moreover, with the weighted nature of the victory against Sakkari – and those before it – Raducanu will not be deterred by the occasion.
