WHAT HAPPENED: The teen dream has become a full-fledged teenage riot at Flushing Meadows in 2021.
Just three hours after unseeded 19-year-old Leylah Fernandez became the youngest Grand Slam finalist since Maria Sharapova in 2004, 18-year-old British qualifier Emma Raducanu usurped her in that statistical category, defeating Greece’s Maria Sakkari, the No.17 seed, 6-1, 6-4, to become the first qualifier to reach a Grand Slam final in Open era history.
Did the fact that Fernandez had whipped the Arthur Ashe faithful into a frenzy in Thursday’s first semifinal provide her with inspiration as she took the court against Sakkari?
“Honestly, today I wasn’t thinking about anything else except for myself,” she said, bursting into giggles.
Raducanu, ranked No. 150, still has yet to drop a set all tournament. Since the start of qualifying she has won 18 consecutive sets and she has dropped a mere 27 games in her six main-draw victories.
The unseeded Brit picked up the momentum early against Sakkari, capitalizing on a flurry of errors off the Greek’s racquet to build a 5-0 lead in the opening set. Sakkari avoided the bagel but was ultimately undone by a grim total of seven winners against 17 unforced errors in set one.
The second set saw Raducanu jump out to the early break for a 2-1 lead, but Sakkari strengthened her strokes and kept in touch, rallying from 0-40 down to hold for 3-4, and then forcing Raducanu to serve it out with a hold for 4-5.
But the Brit was up to the task. She reeled off four straight points from 0-15 to close out her victory in one hour and 24 minutes, dropping her racquet and putting her hands incredulously over her head after smashing a drive volley winner on match point.
With her triumph, Raducanu joins Pam Shriver (1978), Venus Williams (1997) and Bianca Andreescu (2019) as the fourth player to have played the final on her US Open main draw debut. Only Andreescu, who defeated Serena Williams for the title two years ago in Flushing Meadows, has claimed the US Open title on her debut.
WHAT IT MEANS: Raducanu’s victory sets up the first all-teenage final at the Grand Slams since 1999, when 17-year-old Serena Williams took out 18-year-old Martina Hingis, 6-3, 7-6. A US Open that has been characterized by breakout performances from teenagers will see one crowned as women’s singles champion on Saturday evening.
How will Raducanu manage the expectations? Apparently, it won’t be too much trouble.
“Is there any expectation?” she asked the crowd. “I’m a qualifier, so technically on paper there’s no pressure on me.”
MATCH POINT: Raducanu was ranked No. 338 before Wimbledon this July. She is playing in just her second Grand Slam main draw, and improved her lifetime record to 9-1 at the majors.
