Raducanu completes the fairy tale in New York by winning the US Open

NEW YORK, Sept. 11 (Reuters) – Britain’s Emma Raducanu completed a Grand Slam fairy tale on Saturday by defeating Canadian Leylah Fernandez 6-4 by 6-3 in the teen clash to be crowned champions. US Open.

It was a victory that required blood, sweat and, in the end, a few tears, as the 18-year-old became the first to win a Grand Slam title and the first British woman to win a grand trophy since of Virginia Wade, who was watching from the court, triumphed at Wimbledon in 1977.

Wade has been in New York applauding from court seats as a British sweetheart gathered around televisions and held her collective breath on Saturday as the teen played a Hollywood finale with an unlikely script.

Raducanu’s victory received the seal of royal approval with Queen Elizabeth on Twitter to give congratulations along with other members of the royal family.

“It’s an absolute dream,” said Raducanu, who will move from No. 150 to No. 23 in the world rankings on Monday. “I’ve always dreamed of winning a Grand Slam. You just say those things.

“You say, I want to win a Grand Slam. But having the belief that I did and, in fact, run, winning a Grand Slam, I can’t believe it.”

The first Grand Slam final, male or female, played by two unclassified players was an unfathomable match with ranked Raducanu and the little-known Fernandez, who was ranked 73rd in the tournament.

A player without being able to make a major final would be considered remarkable: two enter the realm of the incredible.

More remarkable was that Raducanu’s march to the title required ten games and he didn’t leave a single set or even play a tie-break, leaving aside more experienced opponents just as easily as he won the winners.

Fernandez left a graveyard of seeds and champions on his track until the final, his victims, including runner-up Aryna Sabalenka, four-time Grand Slam winner and defending champion Naomi Osaka, fifth seed Elina Svitolina and three-time Grand Slam winner Angelique Kerber.

Despite what the statistics might say, Raducanu insisted that winning the American Open was not as easy as it might seem.

“I would say that while not dropping a paper game, I think I have faced a lot of adversity in all my games,” he said. “I can choose times when I was down.

“Just going through it is important.

“I think what I did really well this tournament was press in the moments that I really needed.”

ICY COOL

For the first time during the fortnight of Flushing Meadows, the 19-year-old Canadian faced a younger rival, even if only for a couple of months. But I had no answers for Raducanu ice cream.

Both players entered the Arthur Ashe Stadium court with an ear-to-ear smile “I can’t believe I’m here,” but soon had their faces focused on the game, focusing on the challenge they had for in front.

The charismatic teenagers had enchanted the New York crowds with fearless play and contagious enthusiasm, leaving enthusiastic fans a difficult choice about who to choose in the final, which in the end was evenly divided.

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

“Leylah will always play tennis and always fight, she’s just the competitor she is … I think staying in the moment, focusing on what I had to do … really helped in those tough times.”

While the score line could hint at a one-sided affair, the nearly two-hour contest included a lot of tennis falling to the jaw and a little more drama, especially in a second set that Raducanu threatened to flee. when, at 5-2 up, he won two match points in Fernandez’s service.

The Canadian who fought was kept alive again, and when the Briton fell chasing a ball and scratched his knee, letting the blood drip down his leg, the tide seemed ready to turn.

As the coaches bandaged the wound, Fernandez, who had just won a breaking point, looked on in frustration, unwilling to lose momentum from the building.

In the end, however, nothing would stop Raducanu from realizing his fate as he returned to finish off his opponent with an ace.

“I have no idea what I’ll do tomorrow,” said Raducanu, who could enjoy a shopping spree in New York after pocketing a $ 2.5 million winner’s bag, nearly ten times. his previous earnings of $ 303,000. “I’m really trying to embrace the moment, I really care.

“Right now, I don’t care about the world, I just love life.”

Report by Steve Keating in New York; Edited by Pritha Sarkar and William Mallard

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