Britain's Emma Raducanu completed a Grand Slam fairytale on Saturday by beating Canadian Leylah Fernandez 6-4 6-3 in the clash of the teens to be crowned US Open champion.
It was a victory that required blood, sweat and in the end a few tears as the 18-year-old became the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam title and the first British woman to hoist a major trophy since Virginia Wade, who was watching from courtside, triumphed at Wimbledon in 1977.
"It's an absolute dream," beamed Raducanu, who will shoot up from 150th to number 23 in the world rankings on Monday."You say, I want to win a Grand Slam. But to have the belief I did, and actually executing, winning a Grand Slam, I can't believe it." All the more remarkable was that Raducanu's march to the title required 10 matches and she did not drop a single set or even play a tie-break, swatting aside more experienced opponents with the same ease as she hammered winners.
"I'd say even though I didn't on paper drop a set, I think I faced a lot of adversity in every single one of my matches," she said."I think what I did very well this tournament was press in the moments that I really needed to."For the first time during the Flushing Meadows fortnight, the 19-year-old Canadian faced a younger opponent, if only by a couple of months. But she had no answers for the icy cool Raducanu.
While the scoreline might hint at a one-sided affair, the near two-hour contest featured plenty of jaw-dropping tennis and more than a dash of drama, particularly in a second set that Raducanu threatened to run away with when, at 5-2 up, she earned two match points on Fernandez's serve.
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