The next generation of tennis stars has arrived, and two will be shown in the women’s final of the U.S. Open.
Teenagers Leylah Fernandez and Emma Raducanu surprised the tennis world on Thursday night at the Arthur Ashe Stadium, and each is unlikely to advance to their first Grand Slam final appearance. The 19-year-old Canadian and 18-year-old Briton will have to start on Saturday in a clash between two of the sport’s rising talents.
It will be the eighth Grand Slam final of the open era among teenagers and the first since 1999.
After her 7-6 (3), 4-6, 6-4 win over second-placed Aryna Sabalenka, Fernandez became the youngest woman to reach a Grand Slam final since Maria Sharapova went beat Serena Williams to win Wimbledon in 2004. Well, that was until Raducanu, who is now the first to qualify for an individual women’s Grand Slam final in the open era, got a 6-1, 6-1 victory. -4 on the powerful Greek Maria Sakkari.
“Honestly, being young, there’s an element that you play completely for free,” Raducanu said after his match. “I’m sure that when I grow up or have more experience, the same thing will happen to me. I think the tables will change, some younger players will pass. But, honestly, right now I’m just thinking about the game plan, how to execute and that’s what terrified me in this situation.
The two teenagers have dominated the U.S. Open holders, highlighted by Raducanu not conceding a single set as a qualifier and Fernandez upsetting the first three seeds, including U.S. Open defender Naomi Osaka. Both magical races to the final have been undeniably captivating in a tournament that ran out from the start.
“I think maybe it was Orange Bowl, under 12 or something, they were definitely under 12,” Raducanu said when he first faced Fernandez. “We first met because I was born in Toronto and she was Canadian, so we had a small relationship then. Then I played it at Junior Wimbledon.
“Obviously, since then, we have both come a long way in our games and as people. I’m sure it will be very different from the last time we met, but we are both playing good tennis, so it will be a good match. “
Fernandez may have won her first individual WTA Tour title a few months ago, but she plays in the crowd as an experienced veteran. Such was the case on Thursday night in 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 in her interview on the track. “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 thanks to New York. “
Fernandez and Sabalenka were shot during the first six games of the third set, aside from the fifth, when Sabalenka loved Fernandez. Fernandez then showed the great variety he possessed in his shots and stole a sixth 10-point game to advance 4-2.
That’s when Sabalenka channeled her frustrations onto the court, allowing her to shoot even in the final set. But Fernandez caught eight of the next nine points to leave the game behind before falling to the court in disbelief.
“I couldn’t believe what was going on,” Fernandez said at his post-match press conference. “A swarm of emotions has just arrived. I was glad I fought so hard for two more hours and that all the hard work was bearing fruit and I’m in the final.”
Raducanu became the first to reach the final of a major tournament, which is the second of his career. Their consecutive sets won over the Sakkari, ranked 17th, took less than 90 minutes.
After easily gaining a 5-0 lead in the first set, Raducanu remained strong in the foreground and calculated on his shots. Sakkari did not enter the board until the sixth game and was unable to exert any pressure on Raducanu throughout the match.
Raducanu finished with 16 winners and only 17 unforced errors compared to Sakkari’s 17 winners and 33 unforced errors.
“They’re both young, they play without fear,” Sakkari said of the teens. “They have nothing to lose by playing against us.”